A New Era Three
by Chibi Zephyr
Summary: He really messed up. That was all he could think as the Diamonds glared coldly down at him. He was going to die here on Homeworld and Lars would be a prisoner, forever. He failed them. - Story is based on "The Trial" and exploring the idea of what would happen if Steven and Lars never escaped Homeworld.
1. Chapter One: A Doomed Trial

**Author's note:**** This story begins in the middle of the Steven Universe episode "The Trial." **

… … … … … … … … … … ...

The courtroom around him was cold as he endured the relentless hateful stares from the two Diamonds seated in front of him. He only had one line of defense: a shaky Zircon who didn't want him alive but had no choice but to fight for his life.

"Blue Diamond, for the purpose of this argument, may I present your palanquin?" The blue Zircon politely asked as she paced the trial hall.

Blue Diamond leaned down and stared at the gem. "Why?"

Zircon straightened up and fear entered her eyes. "I would like to demonstrate the unlikeliness of someone being able to approach Pink Diamond."

Blue leaned back and glanced at Yellow.

"No," she finally said. "I don't want a traitor near my property."

"Of course, my Diamond," Zircon said, flustered. She recovered after taking a deep breath and continued to pace. "Now, as the records show, Pink Diamond was shattered just outside a palanquin much like this. Witnesses say Pink had just stepped out and had only taken a few steps forward when Rose attacked her from the front!"

Blue Diamond made a distressed sound and turned away as she visualized the scene.

"But the question no one seems to be asking is how?" the Zircon continued.

"I've been asking that!" Blue exclaimed.

"And right you are to ask, my Diamond!" Zircon quickly recovered with a stutter. "Because at that time that Pink was shattered, Rose Quartz had been a recognized threat for several hundred years. There were no Rose Quartz soldiers in her entourage and none in her guard. So how did a Rose Quartz, with no business being anywhere near Pink Diamond, get so close in the first place? Where were Pink Diamond's attendants? Her Agates, Her Sapphires? And where was her Pearl? "

"They were with her, of course, they saw the whole thing!" Yellow shouted out in anger as she slammed her fist on her throne.

"But none of them saw Rose Quartz approach? Wouldn't her Sapphires have seen Rose Quartz coming? Wouldn't her Agates have tried to fight her off?" Zircon questioned, not paying attention to the rising tension in the room as the Diamonds took in this new information.

"She must have slipped past them!" Yellow insisted.

"Even if she did, wouldn't her Pearl have cried out an alarm, 'Watch out, My Diamond!?'" Zircon called in a sing-song over the top voice. "No, whoever did this was already close to Pink Diamond. Someone her guards would allow to get near her, someone she would listen to when asked to stop her palanquin and step outside, and someone with the authority to cover it up afterwards! Someone with supreme authority. Someone... like _one of you!" _She finished her statement by dramatically pointing at Blue and Yellow.

Blue gasped out and Yellow stood, her entire form rigid with anger.

Zircon didn't even have a chance to redeem herself before she was crushed under Yellow's boot. The Diamond lifted her leg and the remains to the gem glittered on the floor: shattered. The other Zircon quietly stepped back and formerly offered the Diamond salute when Yellow turned to her.

Yellow huffed and waved her away. The Zircon walked out of the room as swiftly as she was good, not even looking happy about her victory.

And Steven, he was staring at the gem fragments in front of him.

He really messed up.

That was all he could think as the Diamonds glared coldly down at him.

"You even managed to turn a member of my court against us," Blue said, her voice filled with so much anger that it sent chills down Steven's spine. "How dare you! Warping her mind to make her think _we _had a hand in Pink's shattering?!"

"I didn't…," Steven started, but Yellow stepped toward him.

"Imagine, if you had actually summoned your palanquin, Blue," she said, her voice cool. "I bet this traitor was planning on distracting us and making her escape!"

"I wasn't!" Steven said. "Please, listen to me. I have Rose Quartz's gem, but I don't know how she shattered Pink."

"Enough of your lies," Blue snarled. "I've heard enough. You'll be broken for this."

Yellow clapped her hands together. "About time! Let's shatter her where she stands."

Steven's heart stopped at these words and he felt Lars run forward and grab his arm in fear.

"No," Blue said as she looked over at Yellow.

"No?!" Yellow exclaimed.

"It should be all of us."

Silence filled the room as Yellow regarded Blue with a look of deep appreciation and respect.

"You're absolutely right," Yellow said with a nod. "White should be involved."

"White?" Steven asked, unable to help himself.

Both of the Diamonds looked down at him, disgust on their face as if Steven had insulted them to the highest degree.

"White Diamond?" Yellow spat out. "How dare you speak of her like you don't know her!"

Steven dropped his head, not wanting to escalate the situation. He really messed up. He knew this could happen, he knew there had been a chance that he would never return him. But to bring Lars into this? He glanced at the panicking teen who clung to his arm. He was talking, but the bubble over his head made it impossible to hear him. He had tears in his eyes as he looked at Steven.

"I have one request," Steven dared to ask. "Before you kill me."

The Diamonds looked down at him.

"We don't owe you anything," Blue sneered. "Not after what you did to her."

"No, you don't," Steven said, but he pressed on. "But this human has nothing to do with any of this. Please, let him go."

Yellow waved her hand. "We'll put him in the Zoo. He'll be happy there. A trophy for our victory over Rose Quartz."

"He needs to go home! To Earth!" Steven fought, but Yellow slammed her hand down on the arm of her throne.

"You don't make orders here," she told him, her voice sharp enough to cut through steel. "He will go into the Zoo."

Steven looked at Lars, who clearly had no idea what they meant by "zoo."

"Okay," Steven finally agreed, his voice smaller than he intended it to be. "Just don't hurt him." He stepped away from Lars and pulled his arm out of the teen's grasp. "I'm sorry," he told his friend. "I never wanted you to be apart of this."

A pearlescent dome appeared around the teen and swallowed him from view before it sunk back into the floor. A small weight was lifted from Steven's chest at the thought of Lars being safe before it was replaced with something much heavier.

He was going to die. He was going to die on Homeworld for his mother's crimes and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Pearl," Yellow barked. "Inform White's Pearl what transpired. We have an execution to plan."

"Yes, my Diamond," Yellow Pearl said before she left the room.

"Pearl, " Blue said to hers. "Get the guards and have them escort this traitor back to her cell."

"Yes, my Diamond," Blue Pearl said softly. She tapped a few buttons of her screen and the doors slid open.

Steven barely registered one of Aquamarine's Topaz guard picking him up and pinning him against her side, as if she was hugging him more than restraining him. He barely felt how hard she held him and didn't notice the sideways glances as she brought him back to the plain white room. She gently put him inside of it and the door closed behind.

He didn't pay any attention to it though.

How does someone process that they're going to die? Steven just stared blankly at the floor in front of him, unaware of the tears that streamed down his face as his mind replayed the moment he last saw his loved ones. They were in the ocean, yelling at him to jump down. Telling him not to do this.

And then he said what he knew could be his last words to them. I love you. He didn't even know if they heard him. If they really knew how much he meant it.

He slowly pulled his knees to his chest, but stopped as he looked down to his stomach. He lifted his shirt and examined his gem, which sat dormant. His mother wouldn't want this. But she wasn't here to protect him.

What would happen when they shattered his gem? Would he hear his mother's voice, screaming in pain? Would he see her before she died? Could he live without her gem?

Or would it be him? Would he be the one screaming in agony as they crushed the stone into dust? Would they try to poof him before they did it? Or would they want all of Homeworld to see his physical form shatter along with his gem? Or would he just be crushed by Yellow's heel too?

He let his shirt fall and he stared at his hands. He didn't know what to expect. He didn't even know if he was guilty. Zircon made a good point — how did his mom get so close to Pink? How did no one alert Pink? Why did no one jump to defend her?

Steven shook his head and wiped his eyes. None of that mattered now. All he knew is that he had a choice to make. He could either accept his fate and hope the Diamonds would leave the Earth alone, or he could fight. He caught sight of his reflection on the shiny floor. It was distorted and blurred, but he saw enough.

A scared kid couldn't fight off three Diamonds.

He drew his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. He tore his eyes away from his reflection and every emotion drained out of him until he just felt numb acceptance. He put his head on top of his knees.

He was going to die here.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

**Author's Note: First chapter, done! This should be a relatively long story (10+ chapters), but I have not yet started the full outline nor other chapters, so we'll see. **

**It's also my first Steven Universe Fanfiction without corruption (whoops). I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think and tell me your predictions! What do you think the Diamonds would have done with Steven if he never escaped Homeworld?**


	2. Chapter Two: The Truth, Exposed

"We'll never get that dropship to fly and we're losing time! Who knows what they're doing to Steven," Pearl said in a panic as the three Crystal Gems warped back to Steven's home.

Garnet and Amethyst watched Pearl pace frantically as she spoke; the house was empty and quiet behind her. They knew they were running out of time.

Amethyst glanced behind her and a smile blossomed on her face. "Hang on, P!" Amethyst ran into her room and the door closed behind her.

Pearl immediately rounded on Garnet, who remained as stoic as ever.

"Garnet," Pearl begged, her hands clasped together as tears pooled in her eyes. "Is he still alive?"

Garnet nodded once, but her facial expression didn't change.

The Temple Door glowed and Amethyst emerged. She dragged out various broken space junk, as she once called it, with her whip.

"Garnet, a little help?" she asked, cryptically.

The fusion walked over and picked up the pile. She hadn't said a word to the gems after Steven sacrificed himself and none of them dared to ask about the futures she was seeing. They didn't want to know. All they could do was move forward and hope to get to him on time.

"Okay," Pearl said as she shifted through some of the components in Garnet's arms. "We might be able to retrofit some of this into the dropship. Peridot can help speed up the process. Amethyst, can you go get her?"

"On it," the purple gem said before she rushed to the warp and vanished.

"Garnet, let's go back to the dropship," Pearl said. She was first on the pad and Garnet hesitated before she stepped on too. Pearl's face dropped; she knew what Garnet was thinking. "We have to try," she told the fusion. "For Steven."

Garnet sighed but nodded. Her silence was enough of an answer for Pearl, but they couldn't give up. They had to try; no matter how many bleak futures Garnet saw, they wouldn't give up on Steven.

They would get him home if it was the last thing they did.

… … … … … … … … …

He didn't know how long he was in the cell. Steven's mouth was so dry that it felt like sandpaper, his eyes burned from tears he wanted to cry but couldn't produce, and his stomach was in knots, though over fear or hunger, he didn't know.

The Diamonds didn't know organics needed food and water. He could die in this cell before they decided to kill him.

He didn't know which option he preferred.

And Lars. Lars, who was stuck in that horrible zoo and probably out of his mind from listening to Holly Blue Agate dictate his schedule all day and night, was a prisoner.

At least he was safe. At least the gems knew about the Zoo and Garnet would know Lars was trapped there. After all, they must have noticed he didn't get off the ship; that Lars came with Steven. Lars wasn't doomed to live in the zoo forever.

Steven rolled over and faced the wall with the door and tried to smile at the thought, but one didn't come.

Then, the door appeared in the wall and Topaz stepped in.

"The Diamonds are ready," she whispered as she knelt down next to Steven. "I'm sorry."

Steven sighed and forced himself into a sitting position. His hands shook terribly, but he wasn't afraid. He accepted what was going to happen to him; accepted that this is why his mother created him.

Topaz gently picked him up and hugged him before she pinned him to her side.

"I saw Topaz again," she told him as she stood. "We're still allowed to go on missions together."

"That's good," Steven whispered. "I'm sorry I almost came between you two."

Topaz said nothing more as she stepped into the hallway. Once empty, it was now lined with hundreds of Amethyst and Jasper guards, with Aquamarines buzzing overhead. Steven would have been amazed by the sight if he had the strength to be.

"Let her walk," one of the Jasper guards said. "The Diamonds want her to be unchained."

Topaz set Steven down and it took all of his willpower to remain standing. His entire body felt frail and weak; he could barely lift one leg to take a step forward. But the looks of hatred in the gems' eyes fueled him. They wanted to see him fall apart. He wouldn't give that to them, just like his mother didn't.

He straightened up as best he could and raised his head so he was looking at the hall and not the gems that lined it. He set his face and took another step. Then another.

"Traitor."

"Shatterer."

"Murderer."

Gems would hiss at him as he walked past them, but he did not acknowledge them, no matter how much their words stung.

"Was it worth it?"

"Look at that form? What is she thinking?"

"She's hideous."

He kept walking and gave them no reason to do more than sneer at him.

"_That's _Rose Quartz?"

"Pathetic."

"A poor excuse for a gem."

And so on it went, until the line of gems ended at a great yellow door. It slowly slid open and Yellow stood tall on the other side. She glared down at Steven and their audience quickly saluted her.

"You," she said, rather happily. "Ready to die?" She didn't wait for his answer, not that Steven had one to give. "We'll be broadcasting the execution to every corner of the universe," she told him with a smile. "Every gem will see how the rebellion leader, the traitor who shattered Pink, was finally brought to justice."

She bent down and looked at Steven with something new in her face. "That form? Really, Rose? At least have the decency to face your death with dignity. Or do you think that hiding your true form will be enough to convince other gems that you're not you? Show your true form!"

Steven looked down to try and hide his shame. "I can't," he managed to croak out.

Yellow sighed and straightened. "We'll see about that."

Before Steven could respond, a white bubble appeared below his feet and encased him and Yellow. He could see where they were going, but he felt them moving at speeds that made his stomach lurch and cramp further.

He glanced up at Yellow and shuddered when he noticed that she was glaring at him through the corner of her eyes.

"You ruined us," she told Steven when she noticed him looking at her. "You ruined our family."

Steven's gaze fell to his feet. That seemed to be the only thing his mother was good at doing: tearing people apart. And did the same thing to his family on Earth.

"Well? Nothing to say?" Yellow demanded as she turned to face the small boy by her feet. "White will appreciate that."

Steven couldn't find any words nor could he find the strength to say them. His only hope was the small line or narrative running through his head: maybe White Diamond would see he wasn't Rose. Maybe he could convince her that he was organic and had nothing to do with his mother's crimes.

But what then? Would she just remove his gem? Would she even care?

Their transport stopped moving and the pearlescent white bubble opened around them. Steven looked around to the unassuming gray room before his eyes hit a set of white stairs.

On top of the stairs, stood the tallest woman he had ever seen. She towered over everyone, even Yellow and Blue. Her face was obscured by the white glow of her gem: only the pointed shape of her hair, her black glistening eyes, and her dark lips were visible.

She regarded him coldly and crossed her arms; her starry cape billowing dramatically at the slight movement.

Yellow stepped away and went to stand next to Blue, who was slightly to the left of White Diamond and on Steven's level.

"So this is what Rose Quartz has become," White said, her dulcet tones hardening with cold disdain. "Nothing more than a gem who hides among organics."

Steven looked up and met her eyes and swallowed harshly. He had one shot at this.

"Actually," he said, his voice rough enough to make him cringe at the sound of it. But he pressed one. "I am organic. Well, half-organic. When I said I was Rose Quartz, it wasn't the full truth."

"What?" Yellow hissed, her face screwed up in anger. "You dare lie to us?!"

White lifted her hand and Yellow immediately fell silent. She bent down and regarded Steven coldly.

"You do not speak," she told him softly, though her voice was laced with anger. "You're here to die, nothing more. Do you understand?"

Steven opened his mouth, but White shot him a glare that had his entire body seizing in fear.

"Better," she said as she straightened up. "Pearl, are you ready?"

"Yes, my Diamond," came a cold voice, not unlike White's, from the corner of the room. She stood in front of panels with images of various planets on it, and one that showed White Diamond's face.

"You're live, my Diamond," her Pearl said, emotionlessly.

White smiled and her true amusement showed through her cold demeanor. It was an insane smile that sent shivers down Steven's spine and frozen his very core. It was the smile of someone who couldn't be reasoned with.

"Today is the beginning of a new era," White spoke clearly and confidently as she addressed their countless colonies. "Today, we shatter the shatterer. Today, Pink Diamond will be avenged!"

She paused as rows of approval could be heard; resounding and resonating across all of Homeworld, across the entire galaxy.

White looked down at Steven and he knew his own image was being projected now; every gem in the universe, except for his family on Earth, could see him.

"Even today, Rose Quartz hides from us," White said. "Taking the form of this hideous organic to try and trick us. But we see through it, don't we, Rose?"

Before Steven could answer, he found himself trapped in White's long fingers. She lifted him up for the universe to see and, with one finger, lifted his shirt. His gem now exposed, a loud hiss filled the chamber as gems expressed their hatred outside.

"She stood trial and we learned the truth," White continued as she displayed Steven for all to see. "She gave herself to us to protect the Earth; a doomed and miserable excuse for a planet. She admitted to shattering Pink Diamond. And so, she must answer for her crimes."

White looked to her fellow Diamonds and nodded once.

"Now, with her death, we will enter Era 3, together, as a new Diamond Authority. Let her shattering unite us once more. Yellow? Blue? Will you rid her of this form?"

Yellow and Blue smirked and raised their hands. White dropped Steven and he was blasted with their powers as he fell. Yellow's destabilizing rays coursed through his body like electricity and caused his limbs to spasm uncomfortably, while Blue's filled his heart his sorrow and caused the only tear he had the ability to form to fall down his cheeks.

But he didn't poof. And he didn't stop falling.

Unable to control the speed of his descent, he met the ground with a sickening thud. He felt his wrist break as he stupidly put his hands out in front of him before he hit the ground. The impact traveled up his arm and shattered his bone. His face slammed against the floor; his nose flattened and teeth biting into his tongue.

Everything he knew was pain. His face, his arm, his legs; everything burned and splintered, as if his skeleton was trying to break through his skin. His mouth filled with blood that he spat out as he sputtered to catch his breath.

"What is this?" he barely heard White say from above him.

"She didn't poof?" Yellow said, incredulously.

"No matter," White said. She picked Steven up again and ignored his screams of protest. Her eyes traveled down his form, from the red on his chin to the droplets that fell to the floor below her.

Steven forced his eyes open and looked at her. She blinked once and her mouth became a very thin line.

"Enough of these games," she said, though the look in her eyes told Steven she knew that he hadn't lied before about being half-organic. "It's time to come out, Rose."

And by the look of excited insanity told Steven that, organic or not, White didn't care.

He couldn't do anything as her nails grabbed the edges of his gemstone. He was helpless when she started to pull at it.

If he had been in pain before, it was nothing compared to this. His entire being was being split in two: his mind was being torn from his body.

And, as his gem left his body, everything went black.

White felt the boy go limp in her hand the moment she extracted Rose's gemstone, but her own body froze when she looked at the small pink stone in her hands.

It wasn't a quartz.

It wasn't even rose-colored.

It was…

"Pink…," she breathed. "Cut the feed."

The gems across the galaxy were left in stunned silence as the image of a pink diamond faded from their screen.

Yellow and Blue were both frozen in sudden realization as they looked between the organic form in White's hand and the diamond on her other.

White bent down and gingerly placed Steven back on the floor as she examined his body and the gem in her hand.

"So," White breathed, her voice steady but fury underlined it. "Starlight, you were playing another game? You thought you were clever, didn't you? Well, enough is enough. I hope you got it out of your system."

Below her, Steven stirred.

He opened his eyes and raised his head, barely able to see through his blurred vision. Then, he saw it too.

Pink Diamond.

He looked down to his stomach, bare and gem-less, and understood. Realization flooded over him and his heart stopped.

It all made sense now. His mom didn't shatter Pink Diamond. His mom _was _Pink Diamond. She faked her death. How he didn't know, but it didn't matter. The evidence was right in front of him.

And now, it was all about to become clear. The diamond began to glow brightly as the being inside it tried to reform. White let go and the gemstone floated there before Pink's form took shape. She was tall, with a poof of hair not unlike Steven's.

Then the white glow shifted into Rose Quartz: shorter, stouter, with long curls.

And then, it was Steven. And it stayed Steven, but covered in a pink hue.

Pink Steven floated slowly to the ground and regarded White Diamond with an emotionless face. White didn't speak as she met his eyes. Her mouth opened and closed as if she was trying to form words, but she couldn't quite get there.

His gem half slowly turned away from White and looked to his organic half, broken, and weak on the floor, with an expression of pure shock, mixed with odd understanding. He walked slowly over to his other half and knelt beside him. The moment his hands met Steven's arm, a warmth spread throughout them both. Despite the pain and feeling of loss that came with being separated, both beings smiled broadly.

Steven understood now. His mom was Pink Diamond. But he wasn't Pink. He wasn't Rose. No one was _ever _Rose. He was just Steven.

"This…," White started, but she was cut off by a blinding white light as Steven's two halves united once again.

He stood before her, a smile on his face as the pain left him entirely. He still shook from dehydration, but this was nothing compared to what he just felt.

"I'm not Rose Quartz," Steven breathed as he looked at his hands. "I'm just me."

"What is the meaning of this?!" Blue yelled out, still unable to move through the shock.

"How could you do this to us, Pink?" Yellow questioned, her face contorted in confused agony.

"Still playing your game, Pink?" White asked, her cool anger drowned out the other diamonds' despair.

Steven looked up at her, just in time to see her eyes glow brightly.

"Enough of this," she said.

A white light shot from her eyes and hit Steven squarely in the chest.

The moment the light touched his gem, he felt a chill rush over him, but it wasn't a normal cold. It was like a part of him just vanished entirely. It was just like when White removed his gem, but this time, the diamond was still firmly embedded in his naval. But it was...gray.

"What's happening?" Steven croaked out before the chill overtook him completely. He heard White laugh in the distance. The cool sound reverberated around his head until he heard her speak. No, he didn't hear it. It was more of a feeling. An urge to listen to words that weren't there.

He felt his body respond as he stood straight and lifted his head to stare at the diamond monarchs in front of him. White was smiling kindly down at him, though it didn't reach her eyes. Blue and Yellow looked uncertain, but they didn't speak.

Steven tried to open his mouth, but it was glued shut. He tried to lift his arms to cover his gem, but they were stuck to his side. His heart thudded in his chest painfully and he wanted to yell out, to tell White to stop it, but he couldn't. All he could do was feel his chest constrict and listen to his panicked flurry of thoughts.

White spread her arms out grandly and her smile grew as she stared down at him.

"Welcome home, Pink."

… … … … … … … … … … … … … …

**Author's Note: And there you have it! The truth is out there, to the entire galaxy, no less. Everyone (except those on Earth) knows that Pink Diamond lives (sort of). I was never happy with how White reacted to Steven and Pink Steven. It was too sudden, too tame. So, what do you think is going to happen next? And no, I'm not going to forget about Lars *wink wink***


	3. Chapter Three: A New Pink Diamond

The air was tense as the gems worked on the dropship. Peridot and Pearl scrambled around and muttered to themselves as they worked as quickly as possible. Pearl had bags under her eyes and Peridot kept glancing nervously to Garnet, who still hadn't spoken to any of them.

Amethyst was using her whip to slice through materials as instructed but otherwise had next to nothing to do. She already moved Centipeedle and her crew into the Temple, where they curled up in her room without any issues. She wasn't worried about them wreaking havoc or destroying anything; they just chatted with each other and explored without bumping into a single pile.

Ever since Steven got through to their captain, Centi, they were docile and almost sweet.

She sighed and looked around to see how everyone was doing. If only Steven were here now. With him gone, it was like all of them forgot how to have hope and forgot how to be a family. It was just duties and responsibilities. Of course, not that Amethyst blamed Pearl for pushing them or herself; it was to save Steven after all.

But she did blame Garnet, who just stood there and stared. She barely moved, barely helped, and didn't offer any words of comfort. Surely she saw some futures where Steven was okay, so why not just share them? Why not give them hope?

Amethyst huffed and became aware that she was staring hard at Garnet, who slowly turned to look at Amethyst. The purple gem quickly ducked her head in shame and the fusion walked outside and the door slid silently closed behind her. After a moment, Amethyst got up and followed, intent on apologizing for her glare.

She left the ship and rounded the corner, but stopped before she stepped into view. Garnet was standing a few feet from her and clutching her form tightly as if trying to hold herself together. Her form glowed bright white and for a moment, Ruby and Sapphire seemed to be falling out of her. But then, they fell back together and Garnet reappeared.

"Keep it together," Amethyst heard Garnet whisper to herself. "It may be true, but we haven't lost him yet."

"Garnet?" Amethyst said as she stepped closer to the fusion. "Are you okay?"

She turned to look at Amethyst but didn't say anything. She just stepped around her with a curt nod and headed back into the ship.

"I'm gonna go check on Greg," Amethyst called after her, not wanting to add to the tension. If Garnet was that close to coming undone, then it was probably for the best that Amethyst wasn't there to glare at her. After all, none of this was her fault. She couldn't have guessed that Steven would have done what he did.

No one could have.

And so, Amethyst sighed and headed back to the Warp Pad. She reappeared back in Steven's house, where Lapis and Greg sat on the couch. Greg looked horrified, while Lapis looked downright embarrassed.

"Amethyst!" Greg said as he stood up, a look of relief on his face. "How are things?"

Amethyst walked over to them and shrugged before she collapsed on the couch. "They're going. We should have the ship running by tomorrow. Pearl thinks it should be able to withstand the trip."

Greg grimaced as he remembered Pearl's first spaceship blowing up, with her and his son in it.

"Is she sure?" he asked, shakily.

Amethyst just shrugged again. "She has to be." She patted the spot beside her and Greg reluctantly sat down again. "How are you holding up?"

Greg shook his head and ran his hand through what was left of the hair on his head. "My son gave himself up to a bunch of galactic dictators to save us. I couldn't stop him."

Lapis looked to her hands. "Well, if he is on Homeworld, the Diamonds will want him dead. They'll make it quick."

"Lapis!" Amethyst cried, suddenly understanding what she had walked into. "That's not helping!"

"Well," Lapis said, her chest puffed out before she deflated. "I'm not good at this. I'm just as scared as you all! The Diamonds have Steven! You don't know what they're like!"

"You're right," Amethyst said, hands in the air as she noticed a rapidly paling Greg. "I don't know how they are. But we all know how _Steven _is." Both Greg and Lapis turned to look at her in confusion.

"Steven is good at talking people out of horrible things," Amethyst continued. "He's good at stopping a fight before it starts. He's good at protecting people and helping them."

Greg's hands fell and he nodded, some color coming back to his cheeks.

"If I know my son," he said, looking skyward. "He's up there and doing everything he can to make sure we're safe and to get home."

Lapis just frowned. "If he defies them —"

"He won't," Amethyst cut her off. "Steven is too smart for that. He'll play along, but he won't give ir or do anything stupid. Garnet knows he's still alive. So we just have to keep our hopes up until we can get him back."

"But what if the Diamonds don't want us to take him? What if they follow him here?" Lapis said, her eyes filling with panic as her voice quivered.

Amethyst opened her mouth, but Greg cut her off and put his hand on Lapis's shoulder.

"It won't come to that," Greg said. "Steven will get through to them. We just need to believe in him."

… … … … … … … … … … …

_(Back on Homeworld)_

Steven sat, dejectedly, at White Diamond's feet. She was tutting to herself; her displeasure rolled off her and through Steven's mind like waves of Beach City's ocean.

"I don't understand!" White finally said, her arms flinging into the air. Steven felt his own limbs do the same, but he was powerless to stop them — it was his arms were tethered to hers by an invisible string. "With all my power, you still won't change back!"

Steven, unable to speak, managed to roll his eyes. His own frustration at this situation was beginning to bubble to the surface as he tried to tell White that he _couldn't _look like Pink even if he wanted to. But without being able to speak, all he could do was express his frustration internally and with slight movements that White didn't care that he was capable of.

"You're Pink Diamond. So look like her!" White roared and she tried once more.

Steven felt his gem grow hot and stared as his body, which was soon engulfed by white light. He felt his limb stretch to heights he could never reach as a human, felt his body thin out and his hair grow heavier, but his body started to yell at him; at White. It stopped growing, stuck in a painful shape that was halfway between himself and halfway between his mother.

Then, the light faded and Steven's form returned to normal. If he had been in control, he would have flopped over, utterly spent from the exertion. This must have been the ninth time White tried to reform Pink and the ninth time she failed. His muscles ached tiredly and he felt his eyes grow heavier by the moment.

"Are organics always this weak?!" White questioned as she peered down at Steven. "I feed you. I watered you. That should be enough!"

It's not enough to make the impossible happen, Steven bitterly thought.

White huffed almost as if she heard him. Steven wondered if she had, or if like he was aware of her emotions, she was aware of his.

"I guess this will have to do, then," she said.

Steven looked to his gem at her instructions and it, along with his stomach, glowed. He watched it _move _and felt it turn within it. His stomach churned and his face contorted as his innards felt like they were being twisted and contorted.

Then, it stopped. No longer was his gem a circle in his belly button; White transformed it to match Pink's original shape. Upside down and unmistakably diamond.

"You were always small anyway," White brushed off, though her frustration still echoed in Steven's mind. "You sure made this difficult on yourself, didn't you, Pink?" White sighed.

She folded her arms and, for a moment, it looked like she was about to sit down next to Steven. But she put her hands on her hips and remained standing after she took another breath. "It really is just like you to be this impulsive; to never think things through. Surely you could have guessed that fusing with an organic would limit yourself?"

Steven remained silent, not that he could have spoken anyway. White crossed her arms again and Steven's own arms mimicked her movements once more. He winced as he felt her mentally prodding his own mind as if searching for something deep within his head.

After a moment, the poking faded and White sighed once more.

"I've never controlled anything quite like this, you know," White said, though Steven didn't know if that statement was meant for him or his gemstone. "You were always creative, Pink, though this is something entirely unorthodox. And so like you."

Her words weren't kind or wistful — they had a sharp edge behind them, paired with the ever rumbling annoyance Steven could feel through White's connection with him.

"This organic isn't docile. I can't control it."

"Him," Steven muttered, surprising himself.

"Him," White corrected as if she didn't care that Steven regained his tongue for a moment. "See? It's just like you. And now I'm forced to try and pry you out of your gem because you can't seem to reform on your own. It's like you're tethered to this organic! I can sense you in there, but you feel so...different!"

Because I am! Steven wanted to scream that, to make White understand, but his voice was taken from him once more.

"Obviously you are," White waved her hand as if brushing away Steven's silent scream. "But you feel so unbalanced. Incomplete. It's like you can't survive without this organic. Why?"

White drew back and let out a long breath. "I suppose it doesn't matter. I'll draw you out and fix you, even if it takes a millennium."

Steven managed to curl his hand into a fist as White went back to her tutting. His eyes fell to his covered gem. White had sent her Pearl to fetch an outfit that would fit Steven's form, one that was just like Pink's old clothing. But even without it on, Steven could picture his gem: a diamond embedded in his stomach. What would happen if White succeeded? If she managed to somehow draw out what was left of Pink?

Sure, he knew he was Steven. His gemstone told him so when it reformed. When it touched his arm, he just felt himself and the love he had for himself; the love his mom passed on to him.

But he did see her memories. He knew things he shouldn't about Pink and her past. He knew about her anger after Yellow refused to let her contact the armada. He saw it. He, well Stevonnie, had been Pink. So did that mean part of her still existed within his gem? Her gem? Their gem?

If he could have groaned in frustration, he would have. All of this was so confusing! Just last week, he was in Beach City and learning more and more about his mom and her past. He was convinced he was a quartz soldier who fell in love with the Earth. He thought he was her, or more like her than he should be.

But now? He was the Diamond who everyone thought was dead! Now, he didn't know what to think. His gem was a diamond. Did that mean he was the new Pink Diamond? Did that mean White was right to keep him here, even if she was wrong to try and force out something that may not still exist?

"Starlight," White called suddenly, her voice gentle. "I know you're frustrated. But don't worry, this will all be over soon. When you're able to be yourself, I will let you be."

If that was supposed to be comforting, Steven didn't feel the least bit reassured.

"Once you're ready, we'll show you to the galaxy again. They all know you're alive and well now, after all," her voice was bitter by the end of this sentence like she regretted how things turned out during his supposed-to-be execution.

"We've smoothed it all over, of course," she continued, with false pep returning to her voice. "They all know you were Rose Quartz, but they now believe the entire thing was just one of your games. A failed experiment with a new colony to gain the trust of the natives so they would offer little resistance. After what happened to Blue's army in sector 11, it is certainly believable."

White glanced back down at Steven and shook her head at him. "Now, Pink, let's see just how much of you is still in there."

Her gem glowed white and Steven doubled over in pain, his fingers clawing at his stomach as his gem turned to ice. He was powerless to stop her as White's conscience slammed into his and smothered it until all he could see was a blinding light.

"You will be Pink again," White's voice resonated inside of his head. "I'll make sure of it."

… … … … … … … … … … … … … …

**Author's Note: **_Another chapter down! I have the rest of the story outlined, so writing should be a smooth process as long as the words keep flowing. I hope you enjoyed it! See you soon. _


	4. Chapter Four: Life in Space

"Hit it, Amethyst!" Pearl cried as she sat, tense, in the captain chair of the drop ship. The sun was just about to crest the horizon, but the drop ship was already boiling hot. Sweat beaded on Pearl's forehead and Amethyst's face was shiny with sweat.

The purple gem took a breath and pulled down a lever with force. It clunked into place and the primary engines sputtered loudly. The lever bounced back up and the engines died.

"Again!" Pearl order.

Amethyst repeated the action and the engines spurred to life. Pearl straightened and her hand curled into a fist while Amethyst turned to watch her. The sound, as loud as the roar of a corrupted gem, sounded weak.

BANG!

Both Pearl and Amethyst jumped at the sudden explosion and smoke began to seep up through the floor.

"I GOT IT!" Peridot yelled from below.

"This is hopeless," Amethyst said, her voice low. She hoped Pearl couldn't hear her over Peridot's clattering, but she knew it didn't matter. This was the third time this morning her and Pearl tried to get the engine running, but their efforts always resulted in a small explosion.

"We can't give up," Pearl said as she slammed her fist into the center console. Tears pooled in her eyes and she refused to look at Amethyst. "We can't."

Peridot popped her head up from the engine room; her face and outfit were charred black and ash covered most of her visor, save for the part she kept wiping clean. She held up a charred piece of metal and tried to hide her own panic. "That last try completely blew off the fuel gasket. We're grounded."

Pearl collapsed into her seat and her head fell in her hands. "What are we going to do?" she sobbed, voice utterly broken.

Amethyst shook her head as everything slammed into her. They couldn't get to Homeworld. They couldn't save Steven. It hit her so hard that it felt like her gem was cracking. It took all of her strength to remain standing and to keep her eyes dry. She turned to the front of the ship and bit her lip.

What were they going to do?

Peridot walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder, but before she could offer any words of comfort, she leaned forward and peered through the main window.

"What's that?" Peridot questioned. Amethyst leaned forward too and Pearl got up to join them. A small dot was growing in the sky, like a ship coming out of orbit.

As it got closer, Peridot shrieked: "It's a Roaming Eye!"

"What?"

Pearl ran outside after her exclamation and she summoned her weapon. The ship was dropping fast. Amethyst was right behind her, her whip now in her hands. Garnet, who had been outside the ship the entire morning, just stared at the sky.

"Is this the end?" Peridot questioned as she hid behind Garnet. "Or maybe it's Steven?"

The red ship slowed and landed in front of them. The door slid open and the gems readied themselves. A tall and skinny form appeared.

"Guys!" Lars stumbled out of the ship and looked at each Crystal Gem. He took a step back when he saw their weapons were summoned. "Woah!"

"Who's that?" Peridot questioned.

"I'm Steven's friend!" Lars said, frantically. "Please, we have to help him!"

Amethyst allowed her whip to vanish as she looked at the human. His hair was matted with sweat, his form was slumped over and he was breathing heavily. But his eyes, though panicked, were filled with determination.

"You were with Steven," Amethyst said. "You didn't leave Aquamarine's ship. Where is he? Is he okay?!"

Lars pointed to the sky, his eyes only on the small purple gem. "He's with the big blue and yellow ladies," he said. "This blue lady, I think her name was Holly Blue, called them the Diamonds? He's alive. But I don't know for how much longer. We have to help him!"

Garnet stepped forward and placed a hand on Lars's shoulder as he began to sway dangerously. Her face remained unchanged as she steadied the teen.

"Tell us more," Pearl said when it became apparent that Garnet still wasn't talking.

Lars glanced nervously to the silent gem and before he looked back to Pearl. "Here's what I know."

**… … … ... ... ... ... ... ...**

_Flashback_

"What the heck is going on here?!" Lars exclaimed as the humans around him frolicked after the voice in their ear told him it was time to play. They didn't have a care in the world; they're whole life was dictated by someone else. And Lars? Well, he hated it.

He hated everything about it. From the stunningly beautiful landscape, to the too sweet fruit, to the schedule, to the laughter and complacency of the others here and their absolute ignorance of free will; it was just terrible!

He had been stuck in this nightmare for three days. He had been roughly thrown into a hole where the machine stole his clothes and replaced them with this loin cloth and toga — which he hated — and gave him this gaudy jewel earring that spoke to him. And _then _he was surrounded by a bunch of adults who looked like they never suffered once in their life.

Seeing their happy faces made his blood boil. He wanted to lash out at them, to yell and scream and shake them, to tell them they were prisoners just like he was, but he couldn't. Their smiles were too pure, too childlike. He couldn't ruin it for them. Even if he really wanted to.

They were too much like Steven. Full of hope. Full of life. Until they were snatched away from their homes and forced into this paradise of a jail. That part, at least, wasn't like Steven.

But Lars didn't want to think of the boy who risked everything to save him. Just saying his name made his chest hurt and his hands tighten into fists.

He needed to focus on a plan to get out of here. So far, doing nothing hadn't worked. He had inspected the room every night he was here, but he never found a way for the door to open or found any weaknesses in the walls. He tried to climb trees to find a ceiling vent, but there was nothing.

He eyed the playing humans and grimaced as they rolled and frolicked and laughed. Maybe he could try something else.

"Don't you want to play too?" came the sultry voice in his ear. Lars groaned in frustration and tried to remove the earring for the umpteenth time, but it stuck to him like glue.

"No! I don't belong here," he mumbled, acutely aware the voice could hear him. It didn't respond though, and let him sulk in the shade of a too perfect tree.

"Friend Lars!" one of the blonde humans called. He didn't bother remembering their names; they didn't mean anything to him. She ran over to him and crouched down to his eye level. "Won't you join us?"

"No," Lars said, stubbornly. "I want to go home."

The female giggled, like he had just delivered the best joke in the world. "But you are home" she insisted, happily. "We're all home here."

Lars shook his head and his frown became more pronounced. "No," he seethed. "My home is back on Earth, but no, I had to be a coward and let myself become a prisoner. And Steven — stupid, dumb, brave Steven — had to sacrifice himself to save the others. He's probably dead and his last act was to save me!"

The girl stared at him with a blank expression.

"And what's worse," Lars exclaimed as he put his hands in the air. "I don't deserve it!" he angrily rubbed the tears from his eyes and tried to ignore how his chest constricted at the very thought. "And you have no idea what I'm talking about! You don't even know what Earth is!"

"What's all the noise about?" Another human came over to him, this one was darker skinned with dark curly hair. He stood happily, though his eyes were a bit concerned. "What are you yelling about, Lars?"

He even hated how they said his name. It was so warm and friendly, not at all like he was used to. Not like he deserved. He was such a coward. He didn't even try to help Steven.

"Being here!" Lars said. He sprung to his feet and tugged at his hair. "I don't want to be here! I should be busting out and getting home or saving Steven, but I can't!"

"Why wouldn't you want to be here?" the man asked, confused. "It's paradise!"

"Do you not like us?" the girl asked. Her face fell when Lars shot her a cold glare.

"No," he said, coldly. "You're too happy. You follow orders. You're just...fake!"

Both of them stared at him with black faces.

"Just have emotions already!" Lars shouted. The other humans were watching them now too. "Make your own choices! Do what you want to do, not what you're told! Screw this stupid voice!"

Right on cue, the voice babbled something about getting clean after a long play session, but none of the humans moved. They were too entranced by Lars and by the tears that streamed down his heated face.

"Look," the teen said as he surveyed his audience. "I know you like it here. But this isn't right. Humans are supposed to be able to choose."

"Oh!" the blonde said suddenly. "The choosening! We are chosen for each other! Is that what you mean?"

Lars shook his head and ran his hand over his face. "No," he said. "_You _choose someone to be with: that's not chosen for you."

"So I can choose?" the blonde female repeated. "I don't have to be choosened?"

"Exactly," Lars said with a sigh. "Maybe you people do have brains after all."

"But why would we choose someone?" the man asked as he cocked his head to the side, much like a confused puppy.

Lars groaned loudly and blew some hair out of his face before he turned to give the man a very cold stare. "Because that's how it works. That's how you're supposed to be happy."

"Have you choosened someone, Lars?"

He looked to the ground at the blonde's question and felt his face get warmer. "Yeah, but she hasn't chosen me back."

All of the humans clasped their hands over their chest or mouth.

"What? But why? You choosened her!"

He smiled genuinely, though it didn't quite warm up his eyes. The thought of Sadie did stem his flow of tears though. "She's allowed to choose too," he told the group, who looked stunned. "Choosing someone is about respecting their ability to not choose you back."

A couple in the background looked at each other and the male spoke first.

"So I don't have to choose XJ-16?"

"And I don't have to choose LK-6?"

Lars shook his head. The two took steps away from each other before they smiled broadly.

"See?!" Lars said. "That's the first step!"

"What if I don't want to take a bath?" another girl said.

"Then don't!" Lars exclaimed. "And if you don't want to eat at the same time, you can throw the food to the ground in protest!"

"Protest?" the curly haired male questioned.

"Yeah," Lars said as he picked one of the fruits from the tree above him. "Like this." He lifted his arm and smashed the food onto the ground. "Screw you, voice!"

One zooman grabbed a melon-like fruit and followed LAr's example. She shrieked in delight as it burst open.

Soon, the human zoo was full of chaos as the humans ran around with gleeful screams. They smashed their food, tore out bushes, and a few even managed to completely uproot a tree and use it to dam one of the waterfalls.

Lars stood on top of a boulder and examined his handiwork with a smile and sneakily slid off the stone when the door at his back slid open.

Just as planned, he thought. If there was one thing Lars knew how to do, it was make a scene that only parents could fix. He pressed himself against the wall, ducked behind plant life and darted out of the room as Amethyst guards ran in and started restraining the others and coaxing them back into compliance.

"We'll add something into the schedule!" he heard one yell before the door closed behind him.

He laughed to himself before he set his sights to the long hallway before him. To his right was a large window that he made the mistake of glancing through. It was blackness, with some specks of far-off lights.

Stars.

Space.

He was still in space. Of course he was still in space!

His heart thudded loudly and he stumbled forward, as if shoved from behind. How was he going to get home? He wasn't on the planet with the crazy tall ladies anymore, he wasn't on Earth; he didn't even know if he was close to either! He was just lost and scared and stupid. He couldn't do this.

"Get it together," he told himself, his voice breathless. "What would Steven do?"

He took a deep breath and forced himself to take a step down the hall. Steven would keep moving forward. He was just a kid, and yet he would do everything he could to get home. He was just a kid and he always did what was right.

"I can't be outshined by a kid," Lars muttered as he took another step. "I will get home. I will help him."

His heart stopped as footsteps hurried toward him. He acted quickly and ran forward before he slid into a side corridor and pressed himself against the wall. More amethyst guards rushed past him.

"Did one get out?" they said to each other.

"Find him before Holly finds out," said another. "I'll turn on the security measures, just in case."

Lars backed up as their voices faded. So they were already looking for him? His eyes darted around as he tried to make a plan. He held back a yell of shock as a force field appeared in front of him. His toes cut through the light and he braced himself for an alarm, for the call of rogue gems, for anything, but nothing happened.

The teen slowly stepped back and his shoes left the forcefield. He reached out and his fingers passed through it. Yellow lines darted through his skin, as if they painted his veins, but he didn't feel anything.

"Huh," he said as he turned his hand over. He took a step back and looked over his shoulder. This field kept out gems, but it didn't keep out organic life. He nodded to himself and set down the corridor. This way, he knew nothing could ambush him from behind.

He peered down the hall and an intersection in the hall before it ended in a very large and pink double door. Lars stepped forward and peered down the corridors. Both were clear, save for one that was blocked by another door. He stepped forward and pressed his hands against the large double doors.

They didn't open.

"Can you believe it?"

Crap. He pushed harder as a female's voice drifted through the other closed door, but nothing happened.

"Blue and Yellow and White Diamond, finally getting their revenge on the traitorous Rose Quartz?"

Lars's heart sank and it took all of his willpower to not sink to his knees. His eyes burned and his throat closed. Did that mean Steven was…?

He pushed fruitlessly against the door again, but his resolve left ihm. What was the point of him escaping if Steven was really dead?

"Here," came a whisper and the door slid open behind him. He tumbled in and scrambled to his feet to see a small red Amethyst-looking gem step in next to him. She pressed her hand to a panel near the door and it slid closed. She looked at Lars before she pressed her finger to her lips.

"And now, the Diamond Authority can be whole again," came the voice again, but it was louder this time. Like she was right outside the door. "Once, of course, that traitor is taken care of. And to think, we got an invitation to view her execution!"

"Yes, Holly Blue," came the bored voice of another Amethyst. "But listen, about the humans —"

"Nothing could ruin this day!" Holly Blue said, loudly. "Rose Quartz will be dead in 24 hours!"

His heart lifted immediately at those words. Rose _will be _dead.

"Steven," he whispered. "He's alive."

The gem next to him eyed him suspiciously. "You know you're not supposed to be here, right?"

"I know," Lards said as he puffed out his chest. "I belong on Earth. I need to get home so I can get help to stop them from killing Steven!"

"Steven?" The red gem repeated, her eyes back on the door. "I know him! Let's get you home."

**… … … … ... ... ... ... ...**

(Present time)

"And then she snuck me onto this escape pod and sent me to find Amethyst," Lars told the group. "She said to tell you that Carnelian said hi."

Amethyst nodded, unable to contain a smile. The Famethyst just gave them a free ride to save Steven. She owed them big time.

"It's about a four hour ride in a Roaming Eye from the Human Zoo to Earth," Peridot mused.

"So we have 20 hours," Pearl said. "Homeworld is about 5 hours away at top speed. We need to move."

"Wait!" Lars called as the gems made their way to the Roaming Eye. "I want to come too!"

"Absolutely not," Pearl started, but Garnet cut her off. She stepped in front of Lars and removed her visor. Her eyes were torn between panic and something akin to anger.

"We'll need him," she said, her voice rough and shaky.

Pearl pursed her lips, but reluctantly nodded. "Fine. Meet us here in one hour. Bring supplies for yourself and Steven. Peridot, see if Lapis will help us. We could use her."

Peridot nodded and together, her and Lars warped back to Steven's house.

They had one hour. This was it.

**… … … … … … … …**

**Author's Note: **Sorry it took so long for this one! Work got insanely busy for me and I couldn't find time to write. I told you I wouldn't forget about Lars :D. More to come soon!

So what did you think of the latest SUF episodes? I didn't like that Steven is trying to rely on Stevonnie, but thankfully it was handled tastefully. Growing Pains was a real treat though. Any Corrupt Steven enthusiasts out there?


	5. Chapter Five: A Dead Diamond

**Author's note: **_Sorry about the long wait! I've been adjusting to working from home and it's been just a weird week. I hope it all gets settled soon. Anywho, buckle in!_

… … … … … … … _..._

Steven didn't think he would miss something as simple as colors, but he did. He yearned to see the shining yellow of the bright sun, to feel the red warmth it brought to his skin, or to experience the calming cool touch of blue. He missed the life of green and the playfulness of purple.

It had been three days since he and Lars arrived on Homeworld. Less than 6 hours since everyone learned the truth. And six hours only seeing the colors gray and pink and white.

It all felt like an eternity to him. No matter what he thought about, he was always reminded about who he was — or rather, who everyone wanted him to be here. A Diamond.

"What's the matter?" White questioned softly from above him, her tone anything but warm. "Most beings would be thrilled to learn they are a Diamond. Aren't you happy to know you were never a lowly quartz?"

Steven glanced up at her and didn't answer. Deep down, he knew he could have if he wanted to, but he also didn't want White to know how much control his organic half still had. He would have one chance to talk with her again before she shut him down completely. He needed to prepare for that chance.

"It's interesting," White continued, oblivious to Steven's internal monologue. "Pink never controlled you. Not once. She is always soft on organics. And from what we've been told, you can even use her powers."

White sighed and glanced down at Steven to meet his gaze. "Then again, I don't suppose you realize how grand of a situation this is for you. You house a Diamond. One of the most powerful and elite beings in the universe. One who...you know, perhaps you would understand if I showed you."

"Wait," Steven managed to cry out before White's eyes glowed.

Show him? What did that mean?

Panic rose in his chest and his heart thudded as he felt every thought get yanked from his mind. A shade of pink came over his vision and grew more vivid with each passing moment. He vaguely heard White mumble above him "not that one, no, that won't do."

Then, forms began to take shape. Lines of gems saluting him, no Pink Diamond, as she walked passed them. She turned and Steven felt his own mouth curve into a smile as he regarded the gathered gems through her eyes. He felt himself lift off the ground and lightly land on her pink throne.

The feeling of power flooded through him as those gathered smiled back at her, but refused to meet her eye.

The scene blurred, as if someone was wiping away paint with damp cloth. Now, he was standing on the moon, overlooking Earth. Giddiness rose in his chest as he surveyed Pink's first colony.

"Oh, it will be perfect!" Pink said, her voice breathless. "Think of all the good it will do, Pearl! Can you imagine it? My own colony!"

Before Steven could wonder about Pink Diamond's Pearl, the scene shifted once more. It was different from the rest. He stood over a gem; Pink's shadow covering most of their form.

"This is what it means to be a Diamond," came Blue's soft voice. "You must learn this."

Steven stared through Pink's eyes at the gem that cowered before her. She was a gray-ish blue, small, and had odd lines circling her wrist, knees, elbows — all of her joints.

"What's wrong with you?" Pink gently asked the gem.

"What's wrong with you?" The gem repeated to her.

Steven felt his mouth form a thin line.

"She came out like this," Blue said. "Miserable creature."

Steven felt his heart ache with pity as Pink stared at the overcooked gem in front of them. He felt the urge to reach out to them and help them stand, but Pink stood strong.

"Our empire must be perfect," Blue continued. "We must make it perfect."

"By shattering gems?" The words left Pink's mouth before she had the chance to restrain herself. Steven felt fear rise like he had never felt before. It overtook him, formed like solid rock over his skin so he couldn't move. Pink didn't dare to blink as Blue stood taller behind her, unseen, but heard.

"Yes," Blue said, her voice curt. "She is not fit for our world."

Blue took a step forward and her shadow fell over Pink.

"I…," Pink said, but she gulped and raised her hand toward the disfigured gem.

The gem mimicked her movement with an innocent look on her face. Her eyes filled Pink's vision and her hand began to quiver.

"Pink, you must do it," Blue urged. "If you want your own colony, if you want to be respected, you have to be a Diamond!"

Pink closed her fist and dropped it to her side. "I _am _a Diamond," she breathed, her whisper laced with anger. But the gem on the ground didn't see her as one. Steven found himself wondering if the gem even knew what she was — an Aquamarine who couldn't even summon wings to fly.

Blue began talking again, but Steven couldn't' make out the words. They were muffled, like someone had put their hands over his ears.

But he did feel the heat rise in Pink's skin. He felt her limbs shake and her tears burn in her eyes at Blue's words. Before she could stop herself, she yelled out in anger. The Aquamarine in front of her was flown back at an unseen force and slammed against the back wall.

Her form poofed and the scene began to fade.

The last thing Steven heard was the tingle of gem shards hitting the ground.

He blinked and he was on his knees at White's feet. His eyes burned with tears and everything hurt. His mom...his mom shattered someone?

"You see?" White said. "That is what it means to be a Diamond."

"Then I don't want to be Diamond!" Steven yelled. He pushed himself to his feet and glared at White, who seemed to have no interest in controlling him. "That's why mom didn't want to be on either! She never wanted to hurt anybody!"

White looked coldly down at Steven. "But she did hurt gems," she said, her voice softer than Steven expected. "I've seen it. She hurt her family. She made us mourn for thousands of years. And her Crystal Gems, she left them too to make you. She ran away and hurts them for all eternity."

White sighed and looked away from him. "You may not want to be a Diamond, but Pink is one. And you seem to follow in her footsteps."

"What?"

White smiled. "Did you not hurt your family by coming here?"

"That's...that's different!" Steven stuttered, but the guilt rose in his chest all the same. The look on Pearl's face when he sacrificed himself and Connie's yell of "No!" echoed in his mind.

"Oh little human," White sighed, her tone was actually comforting. "I know it's hard for you, but you are like her. She lives in you. If she would just let herself out, then you wouldn't have to feel this way. Don't you want to be yourself?"

Steven didn't answer. He _was _himself. But he...was he like Pink? Was he really like his mom?

"No," Steven said. He took a step back from White. "You're wrong. I help people. I fix what mom started; that's why I'm here on Homeworld! I didn't leave to hurt my family. I left to save them!"

"That's what Pink thought too: she ran to save those she loved."

Steven shook his head as the same heat he felt in Pink's memory rose in his core. "I'm not LIKE HER!" he yelled. His gem glowed and the floor beneath his feet caved in. Cracks grew and splintered out from his feet as his frustration, rage, and struggle filled the room.

A ring echoed in his ears. He looked down at his hand and slowly raised it to his face: it shook fiercely and was consumed by a pink glow.

He stood there, in the center of the crater, numb, as he stared at his pink hand. He wanted it gone. He wasn't like this. He helped people. He didn't hurt them. He wasn't like Pink! His chest felt like it was about to explode as his vision swam in and fingers twitched.

His throat constricted as his thought back to the gems yelling him to stay on Earth. To how his dad must feel about his only son being lost in space. To how Pearl felt, losing both Steven and Rose. To Garnet, how she could have stopped this if she only believed that this future would turn into reality. And Amethyst, her losing her brother; the only gem who actually knew how it felt about not being what was expected of them.

And it was all his fault. He did hurt them.

The burning in his gem grew as large as the smile on White's face.

"I knew you were still in there, Pink."

Steven turned his hand over as he stared at the rosy aura that encompassed him. It was just like his gem half, but different. It felt unstable, powerful, and detached. It was almost like it was everything he didn't want to feel was overtaking him. All of the guilt, all of the disbelief of him being a Diamond, all of the pain and panic; it was here now. It constricted his chest and strangled him until he could barely gasp for air.

"Oh Pink," White cooed. "You should feel guilty, but don't worry Starlight," she said. "I can make you better. Just stay with me, and everything will be as it once was. In fact, would you like to see your old Pearl?"

Steven couldn't move. He was paralyzed there as he stared at his hands. He didn't even hear White.

"She's been waiting so long to see you, Starlight," White's tone was harsher. Steven's head was forced up and his neck popped painfully as it whipped so he was face to face with White's own Pearl. Her fake and unfeeling smile was still plastered onto her cracked face.

Pity broke through Steven's numbness as he looked at her. What had White done to her?

"Tell me, Starlight," White said. "Would you like your Pearl back?"

If Steven could have recoiled in shock, he would have. This was his mom's pearl? His head jerkily nodded against his will as White forced an answer out of him.

"Good, good," she said. "I think you two have been apart for far too long."

The white drained from the pearl's skin and she collapsed. Steven tried to lunge forward to catch her, but White held him stiff.

"It's a pity, I took her from you after you damaged her," White said, as if she was addressing a toddler. "You both had so much fun together. Look at all the damage you caused her."

Pink Pearl unfurled herself from the ground and looked around, confused. Her hand went over over missing eye. Her skin was as pale as a porcelain doll and her skirt as delicate as a rose petal. She would have been a welcome splash of color, had the situation been different.

"What happened?" she asked the quiet room. She looked to White and her eyes widened. She quickly formed the diamond salute and tried to stand, but stumbled and fell back to the floor.

"Pearl," White said softly. "Pink is playing another game. This is her new form."

"Wh-what?" the pearl whispered as she looked at Steven. "My Diamond!" She exclaimed, suddenly smiling. "Oh Pink, it's good to see you again!"

"I...I'm," Steven stuttered, but White took over.

"Pink doesn't remember you, Pearl," White said, her voice soft but bridled with an emotion Steven couldn't place. "She doesn't remember what she did to you. Can you tell her?"

Pink Pearl nodded. "Oh, it was nothing!" she waved her hand, but her face morphed into semi-hidden sorrow. "You were denied a colony and I was too close to one of your destructive shouts. It was an accident!"

"Mom…," Steven whispered as he stared at her cracked eye. "She…?"

"Don't worry," Pink Pearl said, her smile returning. "I'll happily serve you again!"

"No!" Steven shouted. He shook his head and stumbled a half-step back before he felt White grab hold of his legs. He almost toppled over at the sudden mental constraint. "No, you shouldn't serve me. I don't want that!"

"You...you don't want me?" Pink Pearl repeated as her smile dropped. "Is this part of the game too?"

Steven's eyes widened when he realized what he said. "No, it's not that!"

"Is it because I'm damaged?" Pink Pearl said. "It's nothing! I'm fine!" But the crack in her form elongated and splintered over her forehead. "Please, Pink, let's just have fun like we used to."

"No," Steven said, but he couldn't find the right words. Everything was happening too fast. His mom did this. She hurt her pearl. And Pink Pearl didn't care. This wasn't right.

"P-pink," the pearl stuttered. She took a step back and raised her hand to Steven. "Please."

"Starlight," White called from above, her voice emotionless. "You know what we do with broken gems."

"No," Steven breathed as he felt White tend the flame that burned within his gem. The power pulsed in him. The corner of his visions blurred as the room seemed to tilt so White Diamond towered over him, and he towered over Pink Pearl. The air around them grew heavy and toxic; every breath Steven drew scorched his lungs and charred his already constricted throat.

The panic as White lifted his hand to the Pearl bound him there. She fell to her knees, tears in her eye as she begged. But Steven couldn't hear her. He was completely deaf to everything but the blood thundering in his ears.

White was going to have him...no. He wouldn't. He couldn't.

_You are a Diamond. _

He _had _a Diamond. He wasn't one. He didn't like White. He wasn't like Blue or Yellow. He wasn't even like his mom. He wouldn't hurt her.

_You are Pink Diamond. _

"No."

White lifted her head, her brow furrowed and nostrils flared as Steven lifted his head to look at her. Her grip on him slipped as his emotions fueled his actions. She had no control over his humanity — only the part of him that he was rejecting.

"I am Steven Universe," he said, voice strained, but she was unable to still his tongue. "I won't hurt her!"

White growled in frustration. "No! You don't not act like this. You do not sound like this! You may be bound to this organic, but it does not control you, Pink!"

Her eyes glowed brightly and Steven's gem mirrored it.

"I control you!" White yelled. As the yell echoed in the chamber, pain exploded from Steven's gem. He felt his emotions swirl inside him, he felt them plummet down to his stomach and fall heavily onto his gemstone. He felt White's cold touch lasso them and pull, like she was extracting his very humanity out of his gem.

In that moment, Steven knew that White understood. She always knew: Pink's power was always fueled by emotions — power that was now Steven's.

And he couldn't stop her.

He screamed out in pure agony, unable to form words to beg White not to do this, but his scream was Pink Pearl's downfall.

Pink light, mixed with gray, erupted from his naval in the form of a jagged wave. Pink Pearl's eyes widened before it slammed into her and cut through her gem. Steven watched in horror as his form fizzled out of existence.

Her gem, cut right down the middle, clanked to the floor in two.

All he felt was cold. Weak. Colorless.

There was no point of him fighting back. He wasn't Steven Universe. He was a dead diamond, masquerading as White's puppet.

Above him, the Diamond monarch tutted as she toed at the pieces of Pink Pearl's pearl.

"Now Starlight, promise me you won't break your third Pearl too?"

… … … … … … …

**Author's Note: **_That's it for now! What did you think about the SUF finale? I am pleased with it. I wanted a little more from it, but I am happy with how it ended. I will miss Steven, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. Thank you, Rebecca, for everything. _


	6. Chapter Six: The Voyage to Homeworld

**AN: **_Time to see what the Gems and Lars have been up to all this time!_

… … … … … … … … … … …

Lar's mouth could only drop as he stared at the planet in front of them. It was torn apart — shattered and held together only by the planet's gravity. It glowed white; devoid of any color other than an awful irradiated silver glow. He glanced at the Crystal Gem's faces. Their scowls told him exactly what he suspected: this is what happened when gems took over. Everything was destroyed.

And this is where Steven was behind held.

"Alright," Pearl said from the ship's controls, her voice stiff. Her hands were glued to the thruster and paler than normal, but her face was determined. "We're here. We have 14 hours to find Steven. Garnet, any luck?"

"He could be anywhere," the fusion curtly replied.

Pearl glanced her way, but decided not to question her further. "Okay, everyone understand the plan?"

Amethyst nodded. Peridot looked like she may puke — Lars was sure that wasn't her natural green tone — but she nodded all the same. Garnet didn't react.

"Right," Pearl said, turning back to the ship's navigation. "There should be a blind spot in their security on the south side of the planet in the middle of their largest kindergarten."

"How do you know that?" Lars questioned. He watched countless ships zoom in and out of the planet, flashing like schools of salmon trying to swim upstream. "How do you know that's safe?"

Pearl shook her head and pursed her lips. "I was on Homeworld for thousands of years before I came to Earth."

Lars took one look at her face and decided not to question her again. Silence overtook the crew. Lars could only watch and bite his nails as Pearl slowly dropped the ship into a dive as they approached a chunk of the planet that was floating needless in orbit. They skirted the edges of it, so close that Lars could count the craters. He physically ducked down once or twice when a large rock outcropping seemed to be close enough to scrap the hull of their ship.

And then, darkness.

Pearl let out a slow breath and she twiddled with the ship's navigation system until it matched the speed of the rock that covered them. It was agonizing; they waited in silence and slowly drifted downward.

Lars held his breath every time they heard the rumble of a Homeworld ship or saw the red line of scanners. But nothing came close to them.

"This rock," Pearl said in a whisper, her voice shaky. "Used to be part of Pink Diamond's birthplace. It split from the planet not long after she was created. Most gems don't dare disturb it."

"So that's…" Amethyst breathed as she peered outside. Lars looked too and noticed the ship was hidden in a large indent of the rock: one that was vaguely humanoid in shape. It was huge, lined with a iridescent interior that reminded Lars of glass or obsidian — in this level of darkness, he couldn't tell. The hole was incomplete; cracked down the middle where the rock must have shattered off the planet.

"That's the lady the Diamonds think Steven killed?" Lars asked.

Pearl nodded. "Rose shattered Pink to save the Earth. If she hadn't…"

Lars looked back to Homeworld. "Then that's what Earth would be like, isn't it?"

All of the Crystal Gems nodded. Peridot looked like she was about to say something, but she shook her head after a second and crossed her arms.

"We should be approaching the kindergarten soon," Peridot said after another moment. "Yes, you can see it coming into view."

Lars felt the color drain from his face. The rock shifted and the planet rounded enough for him to see it: the massive crack in the planet's core. It was gray, lifeless, with human-shaped holes covering every inch of the surface. A chill ran down his spine as his eyes darted to the countless holes.

How were they supposed to get past that many gems to save Steven?

"We're going in," Pearl said after a large ship disappeared from view. "Hang on."

She jabbed a button and everyone was thrown forward at the sudden burst of speed. Garnet's hand kept Lars from flying through the ship's window. In the few seconds they were exposed, Lars was sure someone would see them.

But there was no one. Pearl was right. Somehow, she knew. He almost smiled in admiration at the gem. He always saw her as an overbearing mother and a maid, but right now, she was something different. And he was glad he wouldn't be fighting for Steven's life with someone who primarily folded laundry.

It took a while, but Pearl finally found a suitable spot to land. She entered a larger hole in the kindergarten and the ship let out a low hiss before Pearl took her hands off the controls.

"We're here."

"Wait," Lars said as Peridot went to open the door. "Can I breathe here?"

"Oh yes," Peridot answered, her hand waving Lar's question off. "Homeworld's atmosphere is quite rich in oxygen. It's actually one of the requirements for a healthy colony."

"This is healthy?" Lars asked as he peered at the stone in front of him. He had never seen anything so eerie, so devoid of life.

"No," Peridot answered. "But that's not the point. We have to get to Steven."

"Right," Pearl said. "Garnet and I will find Yellow Diamond. Amethyst and Lars, you'll go for Blue. Peridot, it's up to you to access Homeworld's databases to learn what we can about Steven. Everyone ready?"

They all nodded and together, exited the ship. Pearl and Garnet leapt off the edge and began climbing. Peridot looked expectantly at Amethyst, who shape-shifted into a small purple helicopter.

"Get in," she told them.

They ascended carefully. Every now and then, they would duck into a hole to avoid being seen by robots that roamed the holes.

There were more than a few close calls. They would have to frequently bail and Amethyst would have to turn into a smaller version of herself to hide. Lar's heart would pound every time the gems ducked behind him and the robot's scanners would examine him up and down. They would always pause before they moved on.

Peridot had assured him that they couldn't detect organic life, but it hardly soothed his nerves. He nearly had a heart attack every time a scanner would try again, almost as if a few of them sensed the gems crouched behind him.

After an hour or so of climbing, they reached the surface. They were at the bottom of a metal city that stretched so high that Lars could barely see the sky.

"Blue Diamond's tower is to the east. You can't miss it. I'll...see you in a bit," Peridot said before she ran off.

"Come on," Amethyst said. "We've got a long ways to go."

… … … … … … … … … … … … …

Pearl expected a lot of things once they were on Homeworld: being caught or being imprisoned for instance, but she never expected Garnet to grab her and force her against a wall at the base of Yellow Diamond's headquarters. Her grip was tight enough to crack even the strongest gem.

"I know," the fusion simply said. Her entire form shook with rage and pain. Her brow was furrowed and a lone tear ran down her cheek.

"You what?" Pearl hissed, her voice as quiet as it could be. "Garnet, we're a bit exposed here!"

Garnet shook her head. "We'll be fine. But you won't be if you don't tell me the truth."

"The truth?" Pearl gasped out, her eyes large and confused.

Garnet sighed and let Pearl's shoulders go. Her hands fell to her side and shame bubbled inside her. She should have known. She should have looked deeper. She should have checked, just once, to see if any of Rose's plans actually made sense. Or to see if Rose was really who she said she was. But she never did.

"I know about Rose. And Pink Diamond. I looked into the future and in every outcome, White Diamond...she…," the words stuck in her throat as the image of the future replayed itself a thousand times over; no matter what path Garnet went down, it was all the same. Steven's gem in White's hand. Steven's limp body being dropped carelessly to the floor.

Pink Diamond starting to reform.

Her insides both boiled and chilled over and her very core felt like it was splitting down the middle. She could only pinpoint one emotion: betrayal. Of course Rose was Pink Diamond. Only a Diamond could cause this much pain: making a group of gems believe in a better tomorrow that never existed and then letting them all be corrupted. And leaving them all together.

Her arms wrapped tightly around herself as a rumble filled her ears and a hurt beyond anything she ever felt threatened to tear her in two.

"We have to stay together," she told herself. "We can't save Steven if we're apart."

"Garnet," Pearl whispered. "I...I want to...I...I just can't."

The fusion looked down at her. Pearl's eyes were filled with tears. Both hands were clasped over her mouth and she silently pleaded with the fusion.

The rumbling in Garnet's ears stopped as she looked at Pearl. The pale gem never looked so hopeless and helpless as she nearly choked herself on words she wasn't allowed to say.

"I'm guessing _she _ordered you not to tell anyone?"

Pearl's silence and how hard she struggled behind her hands was enough of an answer.

Garnet sighed once more, though her frustration was clear. "We'll talk about this once Steven is safe."

Pearl nodded, though her face was still panicked.

"I can tell them, once we're home," Garnet said curtly.

"No!" Pearl managed to blurt out. "Rose never wanted...she...it would destroy Steven."

Garnet didn't have the heart to tell Pearl that no matter what they did, Steven would find out. This mission, it was a doomed one. They wouldn't get to Steven in time. They wouldn't even be able to start making a plan.

And she definitely didn't have it in her to tell Pearl that after Steven's gem was removed, his future was wiped from her sight. Almost as if he stopped existing entirely.

But she had to believe in a future she didn't see. She had to do that just one more time. For Steven.

"That doesn't matter right now," she answered after a moment. Garnet pointed to a window in the yellow tower. "We need to move."

"Right," Pearl said. She wiped her eyes and Garnet grabbed her and threw. After a moment of weightlessness, she landed soundlessly on the open window sill. Garnet followed suit. Far below them, Yellow Diamond paced.

They felt her footsteps rumble the room, even from up here. They heard her breathless murmurs and puffs quite clearly as the yellow monarch talked to herself and her pearl.

"Can you believe it, Pearl?" she said, her voice commanding and light. "After all these years, Rose Quartz handed herself in to us! We can finally avenge Pink and then the Cluster will destroy what remains of her good for nothing colony. We'll finally be rid of it all. Are the execution plans approved?"

"Yes, My Diamond," Yellow Pearl said. "The broadcast is set and all colonies have opened the secure line for the feed, as you requested."

"Perfect," Yellow said as she clapped her hands together. "The entire galaxy will soon know what happens to traitors."

… … … … … … … … … … …

Amethyst and Lars managed to sneak into Blue's tower and hide behind a large column. It wasn't nearly as difficult as Lars expected: Amethyst shapeshifted into a larger version of herself with a blue diamond insignia on her shirt and Lars just hid in her shadow. No one looked twice at them.

Now inside the large chamber, the monarch sat on her throne, her eyes lost in the distance as she stared at a building shaped like White Diamond's head.

"After all these years," she whispered, her voice mournful but filled with vengeance. "You're finally getting the justice you deserve, Pink. That traitor is locked away with White and you're going to be avenged in just a few hours."

Blue sighed softly and turned her gaze to the singular empty pink bubble in the middle of the blue room.

"I remember you making this bubble," Blue said to herself. She reached up and gently scooped the small sphere into her hands. She regarded it softly. Her eyes filled with tears. "You promised me you would put the traitor in here one day. I will make sure that promise is fulfilled."

… … … … … … … … …

Peridot tried to blend in with the other gems, but they all kept looking at her oddly.

"My limb enhancers are being repaired," she would tell them over and over until they looked away with a scoff. "Clods," Peridot whispered under her breath. They wouldn't be looking so down on her if she was able to use her metal powers to smash cans into their head until they respected her.

But no, she had to blend in. She had to endure the looks of shame as she crossed the narrow paths and monochromatic buildings. Here, she wasn't Peridot. She was just an underdeveloped gem with a failing record.

But when she broke Steven out of his prison and stole Rose Quartz right out from under the Diamonds' noses, she'd be so much more. A traitor. Someone Homeworld actively hunts.

A hero. A friend. Someone who matters.

She puffed her chest out and continued to move forward, her eyes set on a squat green building. She opened the doors and stepped in before letting her chest fall and a long breath escape her lips. The building was empty, as she expected it to be. Most Peridots were out overseeing colonies instead of holed up here in this dark and dingy excuse for a research center.

She stepped forward and took in the familiar sight: a center console that stuck out from the ground was the only thing in sight. It was dusty and a panel was missing from the bottom, but it would have to do.

"Okay," Peridot said quietly as she cracked her knuckles. "Let's find Steven."

Her fingers danced over the buttonless surface and image after image appeared in front of her. She saw a hand drawn picture of Steven and the other human — Lars? — standing in front of the two Diamonds.

"So there is the trial," Peridot mused. She skimmed through the records and brushed it aside. She knew all this already. The taller human told the gems all of this about five times on the way to Homeworld.

There!

If Peridot had a heart, she felt it drop to her feet as she read the words on the screen. She knew the Diamonds meant to shatter Rose, but it hadn't fully set in. But now, seeing the plans, reading how her friend was going to die, it became all too real. Her hands clenched into fists and her vision blurred behind her visor. She couldn't feel anything — her entire body was doused in an icy numbness that froze all logical thought.

It suddenly didn't matter that she was here in time to save him. It suddenly wasn't her mission to learn everything she could. All that mattered was that _this _was how Steven was going to die. Torn apart and cast aside so Rose Quartz could reform.

Blue would immediately torment her with six thousand years of grief; enough to shatter any gem that lacked resolve. But no, that wouldn't kill Rose. No. Yellow Diamond and all of her brute strength would fall onto Rose's physical form, but not enough to poof her. Just enough to crack her gem and make her kneel at White's feet.

And White. She would take away all that Rose was. Turn her into a puppet for the Diamonds, a play thing, a mockery of the Crystal Gems and everything she stood for. Then she would let her go. And the three of them would raise their hands, involuntarily corrupt her, poof her, and then, together, shatter her.

But none of that would happen to Rose. It would all happen to Steven. Her friend. The one person who never gave up on him, even though she never knew why. He saw something special in her. And Peridot was about to lose that.

As a tear fell onto the floor, the small green gem closed the screen.

"So, this is what humans call grief," she said to herself as she tried to find logic behind the emotion. "An emotion designed to overpower organics and make them feel helpless with sorrow."

She stood tall and pursed her lips. "But not me. Not the great and lovable Peridot!" She wiped her eyes and nodded to herself. "Hold on, Steven. I won't let any of that happen to you. I promise."

She turned and quickly exited the building. She kept her head down as she retraced her steps through the city. She barely noticed the masses of gems thinning out as she got closer to the kindergarten entrance and kept her eyes on the ground in front of her.

"Peridot!" Amethyst called. "Over here!"

She walked over and tried to keep her face neutral as she looked at the gathered group.

"Did everything go okay? Did you learn anything?" Amethyst pressed.

"Yes," Peridot managed to say. She had to talk fast. If she dwelled on it for too long, she wouldn't be able to speak at all. "Steven's execution will be in White Diamond's chambers in approximately 12 hours from now. It will be broadcast live to all corners of the galaxy. For now, he is being kept in Homeworld's most secure prison."

Pearl nodded once. "Yellow let us know about the transmission."

Amethyst looked to Lars, who was leaning in a hole, partly hidden by the shadows. "Blue made it sound like Steven was going to pay for everything Rose did. Did you learn anything about that?"

"I did," Peridot said. Her voice wavered and she didn't meet any of the gems' eyes. "They will indeed follow through on that."

"We have to get him before that happens," Pearl interrupted, her voice shrill. "Peridot, do you know where he is?"

Before Peridot could answer, a low laughter echoed behind them. The Crystal Gems froze and Lars shrunk, unseen, into the back of the hole.

"So, that's why a runt of a peridot was running from the city," came the gruff voice. A large Amethyst soldier stepped out from behind a corner. "She's a traitor to her Diamond."

"We were warned the rebels would follow their leader here," came a small, high-pitched voice. Five rubies jumped down from above them and landed behind Garnet.

"And we were told to use excessive force," a third voice said from above them. "Well, well, well, look who we have here."

Aquamarine floated down so she was just feet above Garnet's head. Her teardrop gem glinted as maliciously as her eyes as she surveyed the group.

"Did you really think you had a chance at saving her?" she chided, laughter shivering through her form. "Oh, this will only add to the show! Rose Quartz, begging for her friends to be spared, only to see them shattered before her. What a sweet ending this will be."

"If you think we're going to go easily, you're wrong!" Pearl shouted, her bravado false, but her will and determination to protect Steven stronger than ever.

"Oh, we know," Aquamarine said. "But you can't stop us. You couldn't even stop me on Earth. You're the reason Rose is here in the first place, you know. If you had just been a little smarter, you may have stopped me. But here we are."

"Enough of this," Garnet hissed. Her boxing gloves appeared over her fist, but Aquamarine just tutted and pulled out her wand.

"Pity, I was hoping we could have fun before this, but if you insist…," she waved her wand and in an instant, all of the Crystal Gems were encased in its power. They couldn't move. All they could do was feel the thundering panic as the rubies fused together into one hulking figure and the Amethyst guard approached them slowly.

"Poof them," Aquamarine said, her voice bored. "Bubble them. Take them to the Diamonds."

A lone tear managed to fall from Peridot's eyes as the Ruby reached out and grabbed her.

I'm sorry Steven, she thought. Then, she knew no more.

… … … … … … … …

Twenty hours had passed since the rebels were captured, which White thought was nothing compared to the years of torment they deserved. But she was also torn; the gems weren't traitors to their Diamond, they were still following her, if unknowingly, but they were not following the rules of Homeworld.

She glanced down to the organic at her feet. She was barely aware of him at the moment. Her conscious was only tethered to his by the thinnest thread, but still, he didn't move. His eyes were fixated on the spot Pink's old pearl had been. It was almost a pity to force the organic through this, but it was just another way Pink was trying to guilt her.

It wouldn't work this time. This time, White wouldn't let Pink win the games she created. If Pink had to suffer, then those she loved had to feel it too. Even this human.

This human. The boy who was so adamant that Pink was gone. He was too easily fooled by her masquerade. He didn't know Pink like White did. No, he didn't know what lengths she would go to so she could get what she wanted. She was immature, childish, demanding, stubborn, and far too naive. She even had the organic she was tethered to convinced by that little light show she played when she reformed.

But no. Pink wasn't going to get her way. She was going to learn one way or another. Even if she stayed hidden in this human for a millenia; she would learn while embedded in his corpse, if that's what it took.

White raised her hand and swiped a finger down. A screen appeared before her. All she had to do was press one button and Pink's next lesson would be on its way here. But that seemed too easy. If the organic shut down this much from shattering a gem he never knew, would he even feel it if he shattered Pink's second pearl? Would it be enough to use Pink's power to split the abomination of a fusion apart and torture her Ruby half until she cracked? Would that be enough to draw out Pink?

White's hand dropped and she smiled, unseen by the boy below her.

No, it wouldn't be enough. If Pink wanted to play a game, then White would oblige. Only this time, Pink's key player would be White's to command.

Yes. Perhaps the only way to bring out a Diamond, was for her to lose everything that made her a lesser gem. To force her to be the Diamond she once was.

… … … … … … … … … … …

**AN: **_And that's what happened to the gems! Next chapter will be a lot more interesting with more action, I promise! I can't wait to write it and get it out to you all. _


	7. Chapter Seven: Inside White's Head

With the organic now as dull as one of the wall panels, White found herself free to explore his mind. She brushed past the thoughts of utter despair and rolled her eyes at the word "murderer," before she found something interesting. A longing feeling — something that felt so strong, and yet so hopeless, that it intrigued her.

She focused on the feeling and was immediately submerged in it; drowned in a pool of frigid tears that called out for someone who wasn't there. Desire swirled in the tumultuous waves for a life that this organic — Steven was it? — once had. For warmth and love that came from the arms of those who owned the names his heart kept calling out for: Dad, Connie, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and Peridot.

White paused and she felt a smile grow on her lips. She didn't know who this "Dad" or "Connie," was, but that didn't matter right now. It was as she suspected; this organic loved the rebel gems. He wanted them to help him and wanted to be with them again. But there was something more to it. The way he thought of their names, the way they swirled in his head and brought a feeling of hopeless hope to the boy, it was something White knew well.

Pink. She had the same soft spot for flawed creatures. She surrounded herself with lesser beings, adored and took in unintelligent organics, and loved them like they were her family. She no doubt did the same to these poor gems; playing with them and making them believe her silly game was real, just as she so often did when she was on Homeworld. That's why her original pearl was broken, why her Spinel was kept off Homeworld, and why so many of her organic pets were now dead in cages.

Although Pink loved them, she never took care of them. This organic, Steven, was proof enough of that. She had the poor boy convinced that she didn't exist anymore. That the only thing left of her was her gem.

But Steven was wrong. So much of Pink was in him. Her stubbornness. Her love of flawed beings. Her destructive power, covered up by gentle healing. Her relentless ability to be selfish.

"All of this could be over if you would just come out, Starlight," White said to herself.

"She's gone," the boy below her repeated in a dull, emotionless voice.

"No, Steven," White cooed. The human's name felt odd on her lips, but if she was going to play Pink's game, then she had to abide by the rules. "Pink was always like this. She tricked others into getting what she wanted. Blue could tell you stories that would last eons about Pink's selfish ways."

"She tried to fit in, for a time," White continued. "But she just never could. That's why she made you. That's why she convinced you and the others on Earth that she was gone. So she could finally fit in somewhere. She _wants _to be you, Steven. She _wants _to fit in and be loved as you are and to escape the duties she used to desperately beg for."

She had the boy's full attention now. He stared up at her with a spark of curiosity in his eyes. An almost painful yearning echoed in his mind.

"You really don't know anything about Pink, do you?" White asked, though not surprised by this revelation at all. "You only know what you've been told about Rose Quartz. Tell me, how did it feel when you learned Rose Quartz shattered a gem?"

He didn't need to say anything. At this statement, his mind was flooded with conflict. It became the warzone Pink created; a loving side fighting against bitter resentment. He wanted to love Rose. He wanted to hate her.

Through all the conflicted feelings, one thing was certain: he blamed her. For what though, White didn't care to find out.

"Did you know that the pearl with her was her second pearl?" White asked/

She didn't need to hear Steven's stunned gasp or see him turn violently to look at her. She felt it all — the sudden stop of his thoughts, the utter stall of emotion as shock and realization crashed into him. The slow shift into feeling like an idiot for not drawing the connection sooner.

There was something else too, a sort of mixed pain that White didn't have a name for. She caught flashes of his thoughts: the rebel pearl sitting on a ledge, kneeling in front of a holographic image of Rose Quartz. The image shifted so Rose Quartz and the pearl were holding hands. Then of Steven, his arms wrapped around the sobbing Pearl who couldn't even look at the boy.

"Yes, the answer was right in front of you the whole time," White said as the feeling grew stronger in the boy. "Her pearl always knew. And even when she told you that Rose Quartz was gone, she still followed her orders. Why do you think she did that, Steven?"

"She…," Steven whispered, too torn to form an answer.

"She knows her master isn't gone," White filled in the blank. "She knows that Pink Diamond lives in you."

"No," Steven muttered, but he didn't sound as sure as he once did.

"You could always ask her yourself," White said, gently.

"What?!" Steven suddenly exclaimed, his voice low and fearful.

White nodded. She tried to make her face seem motherly and kind, but the organic below him wasn't fooled.

"Starlight, I did say you'd be getting a third pearl. But that can't happen when your second one is still so damaged. And it won't happen until you deserve it. Luckily for you, I know just what to do," White trilled.

"Your colony has been incomplete for far too long, don't you think, Pink? Would you like it back? Would you like to finish it?"

"No," Steven forced out. "No, you can't!"

"Oh, but I can," White said, dropping the motherly act completely as she raised her arms and formed her signature pose — elbows bent and hands held flat at shoulder height. Steven below her, grunted in pain, but his body quickly adapted to match hers.

She nudged his body back and watched, amusement growing in her chest as the boy tried to fight. But, in the end, he was standing at her feet, facing her, and mirroring her every desire. The human's struggles were nothing more than a pebble tapping at her toe. He wasn't nearly powerful enough in this shocked state to break free from her. She made sure of that when she shattered Pink Pearl.

He was, after all, so much like Pink. Fueled by emotion. So easy to predict. So easy to manipulate.

"You have one more chance, Starlight, to save this organic and your friends. Separate yourself from him before the Earth colony is complete and I'll spare them. If you don't, then they'll die with the rest of the organic life on Earth. Is that clear?"

Steven didn't answer. He couldn't, even if he wanted to. But Pink did.

White watched a pink glow formed in his cheeks that spread to the rest of his body. The boy's heart leapt in fear of the surge of power and hatred, while White's grew with joy.

"Good, good," White said. "Now, Starlight, would you like to see your friends?"

… … … … … … … … … … … … … …

It had been 20 hours since Lars watched his friends die. Well, not die, but "poof?" He wasn't sure how gems worked, but he knew that they didn't die like humans did. Their bodies could regenerate somehow. But that didn't matter. He followed their attackers at a safe distance — they never saw him as he slinked out of the shadows of the kindergarten and into the city.

He had watched the gems enter a large white structure that looked creepily like a giant head, but he didn't dare get any closer when she saw the large yellow guards at the entrance.

So he spent hours scouting around the building until he found three openings: two in the head's eyes and one vent at the base of its neck. He found discarded scrap metal that was sharp enough to penetrate walls. He climbed and climbed, and never looked down. He pried open the metal vent and snuck in. At every turn, he would pass through a yellow wall that made his skin crawl, but no alarm sounded.

At first, he hesitated at every turn, afraid the sweat from his brow would trip off the security grid, or the blasts of hot and cold air that came through the ducts would cause him to yell out and reveal himself. But he held steady; if he wanted to go home, he had to stay strong.

A gem security system can't detect organic life, he reminded himself constantly, until the obstacles were no more than a minor inconvenience to him.

He made it inside with hours to spare, but he learned something along the way as he traversed the vast ducts of the prison: he had been too late. It had taken him too long to find a way in, to climb into the building and to find a room with bubbled gems in it. He heard the execution broadcasted throughout the building and caught a gist of what happened through the hushed voices of gems.

Steven wasn't dead. He wasn't even Rose Quartz. He was this Pink Diamond lady.

What that meant, Lars didn't care to find out. It just meant he had more time to free the gems and more time to plan to rescue Steven. So that's what he did. He followed the ducts and learned their paths. The ones that funneled hot air all lead outside. The ones that are pumped in cold lead to various rooms and into machinery. Some panels had signs in them written in another language and dents, as if gems used to crawl in these to get around the building. But he never ran into one. Judging by the state of some of the wider tunnels, these weren't used in a long time.

He had seen Steven too, alive and well, though looking thoroughly downtrodden. He nearly shouted in joy at the sight of the boy, but the giant white shoes behind him made him think again. He was with one of the giant ladies — White Diamond, the other gems called her. They couldn't rescue him with her there.

But Lars was lucky. He overhead gems talking about White leaving her head, which was a big deal apparently, to adjourn a council with Yellow and Blue Diamond. That would be their chance. So he waited just above the room with the bubbled gems until the time was right.

As soon as the time was right, Lars kicked down the loose grate at the base of the alarm system and pulled himself into the room. He grabbed the first bubble, which head Amethyst, and popped it. Her gem landed neatly in his hand and began to glow. Lars didn't wait to see her reform before he grabbed the next bubble.

Soon, the entire squad was back.

"Oh no!" Peridot spoke first, her voice squeaky and panicked. "We're too late! It's passed the execution!"

"What?" Pearl shouted, but Garnet's hand covered her mouth.

"No, it's okay, Steven's okay!" Lars assured them in a hushed voice. "They didn't kill him!"

"What about his gem?" Amethyst asked, her eyes wider than dinner plates.

"It's fine," Lars said, not wanting to get into the details. "Listen, something happened, but we don't have time. Right now, Steven is with White Diamond. But White is leaving to talk with the other diamonds. He'll be unguarded!"

"HA," Peridot cackled. "Unguarded. We're in White Diamond's head. This whole place is swarming with scanners and gem guards! There's no way we can get to him."

Lars puffed out his chest and set his face. "Maybe a gem can't, but a human can."

Peridot looked stunned at this and her mouth dropped open. "Of course! You can get past the scanners!"

Lars nodded. "And I know how to get to Steven without passing a single gem." He pointed to the vent he emerged from. "There's security in there, but I can block it and you guys can slip past."

Garnet nodded and Amethyst shrunk down to the size of her gem without a second thought. Pearl hesitated.

"Pearl, it's the only way," Garnet said through clenched teeth. "We need to get Steven out of here before anything worse happens to him."

The pale gem took a deep breath before she nodded once. A pained look was on her face, but her form glowed bright and she shrunk down in size as well. They all followed Lars into the duct.

"Why didn't they shatter him?" Amethyst asked quietly from below Lars. She was walking under his hunched form, ahead of the other gems.

"I don't understand it," Lars admitted. "Something happened during it. I think Steven should explain it."

Amethyst frowned, but didn't speak again.

"We're here," Lars said after countless twists and turns. He peered through the grate and saw Steven sitting on the bottom of a large white step. They couldn't see his face, only his back.

His entire posture was slumped and dejected as he stared at his hands.

"I don't get it," Amethyst spoke up again as she peered into the room. "Why doesn't he just run?"

"He sacrificed himself for us," Garnet said. "If he left, the Diamonds would come for us."

"Won't they come if we take time?" Amethyst pointed out.

Garnet nodded. "But he'll be home. We'll protect him this time."

_This time. _

"Everyone ready?" Lars asked as he positioned himself to open the to kick open the vent. But Garnet put her hand on his shoulder and her other hand glowed and grew in size. Lars barely had time to cover his ears before she slammed her fist against the metal. It torn open on impact and the pieces dropped loudly to the floor below. Steven jumped up, turned and stared, eyes wide.

"Steven!"

Pearl launched herself out, followed by Amethyst, Peridot, and Garnet, who grabbed Lars and helped him down. They landed heavily and rushed to the boy, but Lars stopped after a few steps. Steven's entire posture was rigid; he wasn't running to them, he was backing up.

"Wait," Lars said. The other gems turned to look at him oddly. "Steven, are you okay?"

Steven shook his head. His eyes were glued to Pearl. He looked so beaten; dark circles under his eyes, his skin gaunt and hollow, and his face torn between a frown and shock.

"Steven?" Garnet called out, but Steven didn't look at her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he finally asked Pearl. His voice was rough and scratchy, like he hadn't used it in days.

Pearl froze. She glanced quickly to Garnet, who offered no help, before gulping. Her hand crept toward her throat.

"Tell you?"

"About mom," Steven curtly added.

Pearl's hand flew up to her lips as she tried to speak. Her words were muffled though.

"White removed my gem," Steven told the room. Amethyst and Peridot both gasped out loudly, but Garnet didn't react. Pearl dropped to her knees and looked at Steven in such distraught, as if Steven had just told her that he _had _died.

"What does that mean?" Lars asked, unable to take it anymore. "Steven, what's going on?"

"Mom was Pink Diamond," Steven said. "Pearl knew."

"WHAT?!" Amethyst burst out, her eyes darting between Steven and Pearl.

"Steven, I -," Pearl tried, but Steven cut her off.

"You were Pink Diamond's."

It wasn't a question. Pearl's hand stayed clamped to her mouth, but she tried to keep speaking.

Steven took a step forward and the entire room seemed to shrink under his sudden forcefulness. "I have her gem now, so…," Steven stopped abruptly and took a breath. His face screwed up in pain and sorrow and a single tear fell. "So I order you to tell me what really happened to Pink Diamond."

Pearl's hand dropped to the floor as she stared at Steven with wide eyes.

"Guys, we don't have time for this," Lars told them. "We need to get going!"

But they ignored him. He kept his eyes on the door at the other end of the room and braced himself for it to open at all the noise. But it stayed closed.

"I'm sorry!" Pearl burst out, her voice quivered. "I wanted to tell you for so long. I just couldn't! But know you know. I can tell you everything. I _will _tell you everything. If we have time."

Garnet nodded once.

Pearl took a breath and looked to her folded hands. "I was given to Pink Diamond a few thousand years before she was given the Earth."

She launched into the story and weaved a tale of how she served Pink, an unhappy Diamond who didn't fit in on Homeworld. But that all changed when she found Earth and dared to shapeshift into the now infamous Rose Quartz. Though at the time, it was just to see her first gem soldiers emerge from the ground.

It was such an innocent story. And then it wasn't. She wanted to save the planet, so she started a war. She wanted to fight for fusion, so she followed the path of love. She wanted to rid the Earth of Homeworld rule, so she had Pearl pretend to be Rose Quartz. She faked her own death and abandoned her home to permanently live as Rose.

"She never intended for any of this to happen," Pearl said, her voice low. "She tried for centuries to fix the mess she made. She just couldn't."

The room was silent. Garnet's face was rigid. Peridot's mouth was nearly on the floor. Pearl's hands were folded in her lap as she stared desperately at Steven. Amethyst was staring at Steven's stomach.

His face was devoid of emotion as he stared at his hand, which covered his gem.

"Thank you for telling me," he said. The room seemed to relax with the small amount of warmth that was in his voice. He walked forward and hugged Pearl, though the motion seemed forced. If Pearl noticed, she didn't show it. She pulled him close and hid her tears.

"We need to go," Garnet said. "They'll be back soon."

Pearl lifted Steven and they all raced to the front of the room. Pearl jumped and landed neatly into the hole that must lead out of White's eye — the one that Lars thought was too exposed to use before. And too high.

"Wait," Steven said. "If I leave, they'll come for you guys! They'll come back to Earth!"

Pearl nodded. "We'll be ready for them."

"Yeah, man," Amethyst said, though she didn't sound confident. "We'll worry about that once we get off this planet, okay?"

Steven looked unsure as he glanced back to the room.

"If anyone can change the Diamond's minds, it's you," Garnet said, her hand on his shoulder. "But you need to make a choice. Just know that if you choose to stay, we'll force you to come home anyway."

Steven let out a low breath that could have been a laugh if it didn't sound so defeated. He looked to Lars, who smiled encouragingly at him.

"Okay," he finally said. ""Let's go home."

… … … … … … … … … … … … … ..

**AN:** _I am racing against a dying battery to finish this and get it posted LOL. I'm sorry about the wait, guys! Life is insane right now, but I am doing my best to get these out to you as quickly as I can. A LOT of you guys shared your theories on how this will tie into SUF and all I can say is " ;-)." What did you think? Let me know!_


	8. Chapter Eight: Back to Earth

Steven was petrified from the moment Garnet smashed through the vent grate. He knew what White meant to do with them. He knew that if Pink Diamond didn't show herself, then everyone would die. But seeing Pearl, seeing her eyes widen and water when she first saw him, all of that didn't matter. His emotions surged forth and mixed so well with the words White forced him to say that he wasn't even sure if it _was _White talking, or if he had reached his limit and finally snapped.

None of that mattered anymore though. Everyone was back on the Roaming Eye and heading toward Earth as fast as they could. They met no resistance on Homeworld, something that didn't go unnoticed.

"It should have been harder to leave," Pearl mused quietly, clearly not wanting Steven to hear her.

"I was expecting a fight," Amethyst said slowly, with a nod. "Unless it's because Steven's a Diamond. They pretty much do what they want. Everyone is afraid of them."

"Yeah, but he is still kind of a prisoner?" Peridot whispered, her eyes shifted toward Steven. He acted like he didn't hear them. White had him sitting in the back of the ship, against the wall, knees drawn to his chest to protect the only thing that could give her away — the grayed out Diamond on his stomach.

"I mean, it's not like they understand organics," Peridot continued. "We don't even understand what Steven is."

Lars sighed loudly and cut off their hushed whispers. "If I can hear you, then Steven can too," he pointed out. The teen looked back and took in the kid's postured and unfocused eyes. He looked so beaten and pale — so unlike the Steven they all knew. All of his energy, his infectious spark of hope, was just gone.

Lars was about to move over to the boy when Garnet stood from the captain's chair and made her way over to him. Everyone turned away and busied themselves with the ship or meaningless conversation to give them some privacy.

"Steven," Garnet said, her voice low and heavy as she sat next to him. Her hand went to her face and her visor vanished to reveal the three conflicted and sad eyes. "I'm sorry."

Steven glanced over to her, feeling both his and White's curiosity bubble inside of him. He didn't say anything though. White's confusion wasn't enough to overcome her concern of Garnet's future vision. She knew, after all, that she was a fusion of a Sapphire and Ruby.

"I should have looked into her, into Rose," Garnet continued with a quiver in her voice. "But I never did. I just trusted her. Believed in a future I couldn't see. If I had, then you wouldn't have to have gone through any of this. I wouldn't have followed her. She wouldn't have fought for Earth. No one would have been corrupted. It's my fault."

A sinister feeling bubbled inside of him. One that brought a familiar heat to his gem as White's own anger as she heard Garnet through Steven's ears threatened to burst forth. She wanted Pink to blast Garnet out of existence. To destroy everyone on this ship, right down to Lars, an organic who dared to treat him like an equal. But she restrained herself.

Instead, Steven's mind was flooded with the urge to speak. He couldn't stop it. His tongue had a mind that wasn't his.

"Then I wouldn't be here," he whispered.

The five words caused Garnet to freeze. She looked down at Steven, her eyes wide.

"I didn't mean it like that," she gently tried to correct herself. "I am happy you're here. You're the one good thing that came out of all of this."

"I'm not," Steven said. The feelings that accompanied these words were very much his own. He wasn't better than Pink was. White made sure he knew that. But he couldn't tell Garnet. He couldn't tell her how he lost control, how he felt things he never felt before when standing at White Diamond's feet, or how he shattered another gem. Sure, it wasn't him, but it _was _him. He should have tried harder to fight White. He should have better control over his powers. He was better than that. He fixed things; he was Steven Universe.

And he was Pink Diamond.

"Steven, why do you think that?" Garnet questioned, her voice had an edge to it. "Whatever the Diamonds told you, they're wrong."

"They just treated me like Pink," Steven said with a forced shrug.

"You're not her," Garnet told her. She put her hand on his shoulder and, with her other, pointed to his stomach. White tensed at the gesture, and Steven's body responded. He drew his knees in tighter, as if Garnet had just lunged at him to lift his shirt.

The fusion raised her eyebrows, but didn't question the behavior. "It must have been terrible," she said after a moment. "Being separated from your gem."

Steven nodded once. The movement was jerky, almost like a novice puppeteer was trying to find the right string to move.

"At least I know who I am now," Steven mumbled into his knees.

Garnet's lips pursed at this and concern flooded into her face.

"Pink Diamond made a choice," she said. "She wanted to be Rose Quartz. You have a choice too: more than she ever did. You're half human. You can grow and change and choose what your future is going to be."

"Can you tell me what it's going to be?" White asked, through Steven's mouth.

Garnet smiled small at him, her brow furrowing in regret. "Oh Steven," she breathed out as she pulled him closer to her. "You know I can't. Your future is an endless stream of possibilibilites, each as likely as the next."

Steven pulled away from her slightly. He desired the comfort, but White was disgusted by the touch of a fusion.

Garnet, however, took her free hand and cupped his chin. She gently lifted his face to look at hers.

"I do know this," she said lightly. "Steven Cutiepie Quartz Universe, your future is yours to decide. And no matter what you decide, it's going to be okay."

Steven stayed looking into Garnet's soft eyes for a moment more. He tried to plead with her, to tell her that he wasn't okay, that she was wrong and they all were in danger, but such a message couldn't be conveyed through an expression that refused to budge. He did feel one tear roll down his cheek before his body pulled itself out of Garnet's grasp.

The fusion sighed and stood. "When you want to talk about it, we'll be here for you."

She walked back to the helm without glancing back at him. As she did, a painful pang lurched to life in Steven's chest. One that caught White's interest. He felt her disdain and heard her scoff.

"Of course you care for a fusion."

Steven nearly jumped out of his skin at her voice. It was faint, like a whisper in the wind, but it was there. It floated on top of the waves of emotions she sent his way.

"And of course she cares for you. You pitied her. Took her in. Just as you do for all lesser life forms."

Lesser?

The pang in his chest turned into a slow burn as he processed her words. Garnet was twice the gem White would ever be. She was stronger, kinder, and the type of leader everyone wanted. Steven felt nothing but lucky to have her on his side.

"And she will be nothing once your colony is completed. Not unless you stop fighting me."

Steven's head dropped and met his knees as he curled up into a tight ball. He felt a hand on his shoulder, but didn't bother to look to see who it was. He couldn't do anything. He couldn't even warn them. He just felt useless. Empty. Like being Steven didn't matter anymore, because being himself is what got them all into this mess. If he hadn't tried to save them, the Diamonds would never have known. If he hadn't been so compliant, then maybe they would have a chance.

"Now Steven," White cooed softly, but her tone was far from genuine. "You mustn't blame yourself. It's Pink's doing. We're just playing her game."

And for once, Steven agreed with her. Garnet said it herself. Without Pink, none of this would be happening. If Garnet had known, then the Crystal Gems would still be happy. Pink would have found another way to save them. So why wasn't she now?

"We're home," Pearl said after an agonizingly long time.

Steven lifted his head and Lars, who had been the one trying to comfort him, helped him to his feet. Lars noticed how tense Steven was and how his hand didn't move from over his gem, but he too brushed it off as a form of trauma from it being removed earlier. Once Steven was ready, he and Lars would talk about what happened in space. But now clearly wasn't the time.

The ship landed on the shore of Beach City, near Steven's home. Greg was waiting on the shore, his hands clasped over his chest as he watched the door slide open.

"STEVEN!" The man ran over and embraced his son tightly. "Thank goodness you're okay!" Steven had to fight the urge to push his dad away and instead let his emotions act for him. He needed this, more than anything in the world. He needed it so much that the chain White tried to put on his arms shattered the moment they touched his skin.

Steven's arms wrapped around his dad as he buried his face into his chest and let out a quiet sob.

"Come on, let's get him inside," Garnet said. She wasted no time and ushered both Steven and his dad into the home. "Greg, watch over him. We need to make a plan."

"A plan?" Greg gasped out, startled. "For what?"

"The Diamonds," Steven whispered. He pulled away from his dad and ignored White's protest. "Dad, I need to tell you something." Panic rose in his chest as he felt White clawing at his throat, trying to silence him. Her cold grasp wound around his mind and his thoughts chilled over, barely able to form.

"What is it, Shtuu-ball?"

"White Diamond...she…," but he couldn't get it out.

"It's okay, Steven," Greg said. He gently patted his hair and drew the boy close again. "Whatever happened up there, we'll get through it."

"You deserve to know the truth," Pearl said, quietly. "Greg, Rose wasn't what she seemed. She was Pink Diamond."

Steven couldn't see his dad's reaction, but he did feel him stiffen at the news. Greg took a shuddering breath and forced the tension out of his body after a moment.

"Oh," was all he could say. Then, after another moment, "So I guess Steven's middle name isn't as fitting anymore, huh?"

"Nonsense," Garnet said quickly. "Cutiepie still works for him."

Even White couldn't stop a chuckle from escaping Steven's lips. Leave it to his dad and Garnet to make everything feel a bit better.

"Well talk about it later," Greg said when he looked back down at Steven's face and took in just how pale his son looked. It was like his skin was turning gray from stress. "I'm going to get Steven to bed."

Steven couldn't protest. His entire body screamed at him for sleep, so loud that even White couldn't deny him of it.

"Connie is going to be over soon," Garnet called. "Should I tell her to come back later?"

Greg looked over at the fusion and glanced back at his son. Steven could only stare at him with silent pleading as he sat on the corner of his bed.

"What do you think, Shtuu-ball?"

"I want to see her," Steven croaked out. That much was true, at least. Connie understood him like no one else did. Maybe she would notice something was wrong with him.

"Then you get your rest," Greg said as he tucked Steven in. "And maybe a shower before she comes over, huh?" He wrinkled his nose playfully at Steven, who managed another smile before he closed his eyes and turned so his back was to his dad. The last thing he remembered before sleep consumed him was White, who was beside herself with joy that her plan was actually working.

That no one noticed Steven wasn't quite Steven.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … ...

_**AN: **__I got nothing to say other than holy crap, I've been busy. I hope you're not too mad at the wait! I'm so sorry! I hope you enjoyed it! _


	9. Chapter 9: A Peridot's Arrival

His feet touched the cold stone floor and an eerie silence slammed into him. It had been less than 12 hours since he got back to Earth and everything was moving so quickly around him. His head spun, his hands shook, and his mouth was dry, but he had no control over any of it.

In 8 hours, White had learned everything she needed to know. The Galaxy Warp was destroyed — that she knew from Peridot's failed attempts at repairing it before Jasper was sent to Earth. But she didn't know how to get Steven to the Diamond Base on the Moon. It was the one hiccup to her plan that brought Steven a shred of hope and frail victory.

A hiccup that was quickly resolved when she decided to send a single gem soldier to Earth to fix the warp to the moon. That had been seven hours ago.

Six hours ago, Connie had come over. He barely left Steven's side and frequently asked him if everything was okay. White hated that, but it was a moment that forced Steven to keep going. Hope wasn't lost yet.

... ... ...

"_Steven! Thank goodness you're okay!" Connie yelled, her voice positively quaking as she hugged her best friend tightly. _

_Steven couldn't respond to it. He pushed her away, a look of disgust on his face as White baulked at the idea of another organic embracing a diamond. _

"_Wh-what?" Connie noticed his face and stepped back, suddenly uncertain. "Steven?"_

"_I…," White struggled to justify her actions and Steven's heart leapt with hope when he realized just how out of touch White was with organic life. "I've just been through a lot," White managed to sputter out, in Steven's voice. But the excuse was weak. _

"_Okay," Connie said, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "So what did happen?"_

"_White Diamond," Steven said with a gulp as though the name instilled fear to his very core. Connie's eyes widened slightly, but she said nothing. "She removed my gem."_

"_She what?!" _

_Steven nodded once. "I'm...My mom," White corrected quickly. "She wasn't Rose Quartz." His hand dropped to his stomach and clenched his shirt. The action was meant to look like the news pained Steven, but it just drew Connie's eyes downward. "She was Pink Diamond." _

"_Wait, so your mom shattered herself?!"_

_Steven nodded and then shook his head. "She faked her own shattering. Pearl shapeshifted to look like Rose Quartz. They faked the whole thing." _

"_Wait, why Pearl?"_

"_Pearl served Pink," Steven explained poorly. _

_Connie's face was pale, but her jaw was set as she processed the news. "Steven," she said, her voice soft. She reached out her arm, but hesitated. Steven, who wanted nothing more than her friend to know the truth, stepped away from the touch without White's consent. Her arm fell. "I'm sorry. You should have let me come with you! I could have protected you!"_

_He felt like he had been hit in the stomach at those words. All of the breath left his lungs and his vision blurred. If Connie had come with him, she would have been in the Zoo. Her and Lars would have been trapped. And White…White would have used her. He knew it — he could feel her scheming and plotting about it even now. _

_She noticed the warmth in Steven's face and the leapt of his heart when he first saw Connie. He felt her laugh at it, as if she pitied Steven for loving a life that was doomed to end. _

_She would have known. She would have used Connie instead of Pink Pearl. It only made sense. She was someone Steven cared about. And what Steven cared about, Pink cared about too. _

"_Steven?"_

_He barely heard her. He took a small step back and his hands weaved tightly into his hair as the room around him began to spin and tilt under him. Reality seemed to fade from sight as his breath hitched painfully and his lungs screamed for air he couldn't give them. He was gasping, like a fish out of water, as hsi entire world was turned upside down. _

_If Connie had been there...White would have killed her. _

"_Steven!" _

_He snapped back to reality when her arms suddenly latched onto him. He had been seconds away from toppling over. The room straightened and rightened itself and Steven buried his face into Connie's neck. _

_It took all of White's will to keep the heat in his gem at bay; to keep Pink from coming out too soon. _

"_I'm sorry," Steven sobbed. He was speaking for himself now, but he couldn't think straight. Everything that mattered to him, it could have been lost. It might still be. He needed to help them. But right now, he could barely even stand. _

"_For what?" Connie asked, her voice gently but slightly panicked. "It's okay, we're okay!" _

"_No," he shook his head frantically. He and Connie sank to the ground, now sitting in a crumpled heap as Steven cried his heart out. "I don't want you involved in this. The Diamonds would have hurt you." _

_Connie remained quiet, but she rubbed Steven's back in a comforting way and let him speak. _

"_They...they think I'm Pink," Steven managed to choke out. White's hand had made its way back to his throat. "They want me to be her." _

"_But you're not," Connie said. "And when they come to Earth, we'll make sure they understand that!"_

_Steven shook his head. Pain shot from behind his eyes as he struggled against White. He had to tell her. Had to say something. But she was so strong. Every time he found an ounce of freedom, she took another quart of his strength away. _

"_Connie," Steven tried. "White...she's…"_

"_She's what?"_

"_She doesn't understand." That was all Steven could say before his mouth froze shut. _

"_Then we'll do whatever it takes to make her understand," Connie said. She rested her head against Steven's and sighed when he didn't say anything else. "Steven, every challenge you've faced, you've overcome it. It doesn't matter if your mom was Pink Diamond or not. Everything is still the same. We're still going to protect the Earth and find a way to heal the corrupted gems."_

_She pulled away from Steven and pushed him back so the two were eye-to-eye. _

"_And we're still going to love you, no matter what."_

... ... ...

Steven held onto that sentence that was spoken six hours ago like it was tethering him to life. Connie's visit had been short. She left after that, but not before noticing how Lion refused to let Steven near him. He growled in warning as he approached, and didn't let Connie soothe him. She shot an inquisitive glance toward Steven, who simply shrugged and tried to look hurt. Connie didn't seem convinced, but she climbed on Lion and let him take her home.

White made a mental note to stay away from the pink feline until this was over, though she did entertain the thought of coercing him into using his warpign ability to take Steven to where he currently was.

The moon.

He stood at the top of the dome and stared at the planet so far below him. It would have been a beautiful sight, if the circumstances were different. He didn't really get the chance to enjoy it when he was first here with Peridot, or with Eyeball and the other Rubies. Now, he didn't have a chance to enjoy it either.

A tall peridot, one without limb enhancers, stood in front of the control panel. She quietly worked and would glance back to Steven on occasion, clearly uncomfortable. She acted the same as Peridot first when she came to Earth, but this gem didn't look the same. Her colors were the same, sure, but her hair was rounded instead of pointed, and her gem was on the back of her right hand. She bore a white diamond on her chest and knees instead of yellow ones.

Steven decided he would call her Tennis, since her hair was shaped and colored like a tennis ball.

"Okay, the system is archaic, but it should suffice," Tennis said. She turned to face Steven and gave him the diamond salute. "I should be able to fix it within a few hours. Is that acceptable, my Diamond?"

My Diamond. Hearing those words sent shivers down to Steven's spine. His gem felt like it had iced over as shame welled up instead of him.

"Yes," White spoke through him. She ignored Steven's reaction, of course, writing it off as Pink trying to run away from her duties.

"Very well," Tennis nodded. She lifted her arm and hit a few buttons. Steven watched her ship's door open. Five spherical green robots that walked on four legs marched out; robonoids.

Steven knew them well. He watched them squirt this weird ooze onto warp pads and repair them within seconds. They were about to do the same here, to this panel. And once that was done...no. No, he wouldn't allow it.

He raised his head and stared at his home planet. Everything White was about to make him do, it would destroy Earth. Steven knew Pink's plans. He could see it happening, in his mind's eyes. Earth being hollowed out from the center and breaking apart. Everything on it withering and dying, turning as gray as the Alpha Kindergarten. No life able to grow, not even a single sunflower.

The chill left his gem.

Everything would die. The rivers would dry up, the forests would be decimated, and everyone he loved would be either enslaved in the Human Zoo or killed. Even if Pink did show herself, which was impossible, everything would be ruined at the hands of Diamond.

Or saved, at by half of one.

Something surged deep inside him; it was an emotion that he couldn't describe. It steadied his limbs, cleared his thoughts, and ignited a fire that had been reduced to cool embers since White took over.

"M-my Diamond?" Tennis stuttered. She took a step back as the top of the base was engulfed in a pink light.

The color took over Steven's skin and he lowered his head and looked her square in the eye. The first of the robonoids made it up the stairs and was walking next to Steven when he lifted his foot and stomped on it. It exploded into mint-colored goo.

"What are you doing?! Pink!" White screamed at him, but her voice was nothing more than a buzz in Steven's ear.

Everything was building inside of him; blood thundered in his ears, his heart raced in his chest, and his gem felt like it was embedding itself deeper in his body, like it was sucking in a deep breath before all hell broke loose. And he couldn't stop it.

He didn't want to.

"This is my home!" Steven yelled out. "LEAVE!" At the last work, an unseen force slammed into Tennis and the robonoids. All of the robots exploded on impact. The ground cracked and fissured at Steven's feet. The glass that held the dome together splintered, but did not break. And Tennis, who caught a majority of the glow, was thrown back against the control panel. What was left of it was split in two; a peridot-sized hole now down the center.

Tennis, stood up shakily. Her eyes were wide behind her cracked yellow visor and her mouth was slightly opened. She held her right hand to her chest before she bolted down the stairs.

"And I thought you were going to shatter her," White coolly taunted as Tennis scrambled back into her ship. Steven watched her form glitch before she closed the door and she tripped into the ship. The door closed behind her and the ship took off within seconds. "You only just cracked her."

The thundering in his ears died immediately.

"Honestly Pink," White said, her voice louder this time. "She was only helping you."

He...he cracked her.

"But I shouldn't be surprised," White said, sounding anything but shocked at Steven's reaction. "This isn't the first time you've lost control. Why do you think I'm here to help you?"

Here to help? White wasn't here to help. She brought this power out of him. Steven didn't even know he was capable of any of this until White came along. He used to be a healer. He used to fix things. He used to be able to talk his enemies down from any situation and protect his friends. Now?

"You're acting like a Diamond," White said. "Just like you should be."

Steven's eyes dropped and he lifted up his shirt to see his gem. Gray. An upside down diamond.

"You can't hide from this," White said, her voice smooth and gentle once more. "You may fuel her power with your emotions, Steven, but it's not your power. Pink tethered herself to you and I intend to fix that. She's coming out, more and more. I know you feel it too."

He had felt it. Or, rather, he hadn't felt anything like it before. It was so different than when he summoned his shield or healed someone. Those powers filled him with warmth and love — they didn't leave him cold and empty. He knew he bought the Earth some time, he should be happy, but he did it so carelessly, without any regard for Tennis, that it didn't seem worth it.

That it didn't seem like a decision he would make.

"Do you understand now?" White asked, her voice soft and honest. "Do you understand what you are?"

Steven nodded numbly, his actions his entirely his own, though unconscious.

"I'm a Diamond," he whispered. The very words were painful to say and even more painful to hear.

"Pink Diamond," White corrected, though no malice was in her voice. "And, you, Steven is nothing more than a vessel for her. Once we learn how to fix that, you will be allowed to go free. You'll live a life of happiness in Pink's Zoo. I'll see to that."

"Why?"

White hesitated at the question.

"Why do you care about what happens to me?" Steven asked again.

White sighed, though not in annoyance, but acceptance. "Because I know what it's like to be hurt by Pink," she told Steven. "To be hurt by your family in such a way, it's unbearable."

"You're hurting Pink right now," Steven told her, his voice lacking any sort of edge.

White, caught off guard, remained silent.

"She wasn't happy on Homeworld," Steven guessed. "If she was, she wouldn't have run away to Earth. She wouldn't have tried to be free. She wouldn't have made me."

White sighed once more, though this time, Steven felt her frustration. But it wasn't at him, nor was it at Pink.

"We did what we had to do. Pink refused to set a good example for her court and other gems," she said. "She deserved to be punished so she could learn."

"Do you think she's learning anything different now?" Steven dared to counter her, his fists clenched. "Do you think you're making her want to go home by destroying everything she cares about?"

"No," White said. Her voice boomed and Steven, although he knew it was in his head, clapped his hands over his ears and fell to his knees. Her anger weighed him down and he felt like the floor was going to cave in beneath him. "I am destroying everything she loves so she knows never to cross me again."

"But," the weight lifted off Steven and he raised his head, as if he was looking right at White. "She has a choice too. Remember Pink, I will spare your friends if you come back to us before your colony is finished. And it **will **be finished."

… … … … …. …. … …. … … … …

**AN: I got the writing bug and whipped this chapter up a day after I wrote the last one. It's deviating slightly from my outline, but I really like how it's turning out. What did you like? Let me know :D**


	10. Chapter 10: A Shattered Identity

"White, this doesn't feel right," Blue whispered, her voice not daring to go any louder as the taller gem already seemed frustrated enough. This was the second time in 6,000 years Blue and Yellow had been allowed an audience with White, and Blue wasn't about to squander it.

"I know," White said. She waved Blue off and didn't even look at her. Her gaze was fixed skyward; all of her attention was on the organic back on Earth. "She's a Diamond. I shouldn't use my power on her like this. But what would you have me do, Blue? Lock her in the tower, only for you to cave and let her out?"

Blue retreated as if she had been slapped.

"Now White," Yellow intervened, her hand now resting on Blue's shoulder. "We know that Pink's always been a bit off...well, a bit of a problem, but this?"

"That's funny," White hissed. She suddenly looked down and regarded the slow Diamonds in front of her coolly. "It sounds like you don't want our Pink back."

"We do!" Yellow quickly said, her voice higher than normal. She cleared her throat when White raised an eyebrow at her. "After 6,000 years, all we want is for our family to be whole again."

"Which is what I am doing, Yellow," White said. "I am making us whole."

Blue took a breath and put her hand over her gemstone before she regarded White with soft eyes. "White, this doesn't feel right," she said again. "I don't feel whole and I know you don't either. That's why you're trying so hard, but don't you think that this is too much?"

"No," White answered curtly. "I don't."

Yellow swallowed once and then nodded. "I agree," she said and took her hand off Blue's shoulder. "If Pink wants to play her little game, then let her. But why give her back her colony? Why reward her?"

Blue stepped away from Yellow, a look of disgust on her face, though she didn't speak.

"Is it a reward?" White asked, a small smile now on her lips. "To see everything she loves die at her hands?"

"It's a lesson, then!" Yellow said. She clapped her hands together, a look of amusement on her face, but it didn't fully reach her eyes.

"A horrible one," Blue interjected. "Doing something like this, it will just make her run off again!"

Yellow's face dropped and she glanced fearfully between White and Blue.

"Do you really think I'd let her do that?" White asked, her tone had a bite underneath it, like she was daring Blue to speak out of line.

"No, but," Blue said, her head dropping. "What will you do with her?"

White pursed her lips. "She will remain with me until she learns how to behave like a Diamond."

"With you?" Yellow asked, both confusion and jealousy barely hidden in her tone. "After everything she's done, after all of her mistakes, she gets to complete her colony and live out every gem's dream of learning from you?"

White nodded. "It's not Pink's dream," she said simply. "But it must be done."

Yellow lowered her head in submission and nodded. Blue followed suit, though it was clear she still had her doubts.

"Our Pink will be back with us soon enough," White told them, gently. "Once communication has been established on Earth, I want you both to talk with her. Help remind her who she is without the organic attached her to. Do whatever you can to get her back. Am I understood?"

Blue and Yellow both nodded.

"Good," White said with a smile. "Now, leave me. I have Pink's mess to clean up."

… … … … … … … … … … … … ...

"I told you, I'm FINE," Steven slapped away Amethyst's hand. She recoiled, hurt flashing across her face as she nursed her hand close to her chest.

"Dude," Amethyst said, her eyes soft. "You've been through a lot. It's okay to talk about it."

"Why would I talk to you about it?" Steven lashed out, venom dripping from White's moth, directly out of his. "You'd never understand. You've never even seen Homeworld!"

Amethyst pursed her lips and took a breath to calm herself, but her body language was tense; her fists were tightly curled and shook slightly.

"You're right!" she shouted, her arms going above her head. "I don't know! But I am trying! Why are you acting like this, Steven?"

"Because my mom is a liar!" Steven yelled. His eyes started to burn with tears of frustration and regret. He didn't want to hurt Amethyst. He didn't want to say these terrible things. But White's own twisted emotions were stronger than his.

"Yeah, but so what?" Amethyst pushed back, though understanding flashed across her face. "So you have a diamond instead of a quartz gem. That doesn't change anything, bud. We're still your family."

Steven scoffed as White's annoyance at her words bubbled over. "It changes everything," he hissed. "But I don't expect an overcooked gem to understand."

Amethyst took a step back as if Steven had just slapped her in the face.

"Dude," she whispered. "What's your problem?!"

"My PROBLEM is that no one understands what's going on!" Steven yelled out, not sure if White had used his own words or if these were strictly hers. He felt heat rise from his naval and he had the urge to lash out, but not at Amethyst. No, directly at himself. He needed her to see what was going on; to get worried about the pink glow that encased his skin.

But White wouldn't allow it. Her cold hand smothered his gem tightly, until it felt numb against his stomach.

"So tell us what is," Garnet's sudden voice caused both Amethyst and Steven to jump. She walked through her temple door and regarded both of them with her arms crossed. Amethyst scoffed and looked pointedly at Steven, who dropped his gaze and toed the wooden floor of his living room.

"It's nothing," Steven said after a moment. White was still apprehensive about Garnet; she didn't trust that Garnet's future vision was too clouded by Steven's humanity for her to find out what was going on. "I just…," White had him pause for a second to simulate the very real ache in his chest. "I don't know."

"Steven," Garnet dropped to her knee and Steven turned. The moment he looked at her, he wished he hadn't. His own face was reflected in her visor. He looked pale, scared, with dark circles under his eyes. And his eyes. He barely recognized them. They were so clouded with emotions that were both his and weren't his, that he felt like he was looking at a stranger.

"You've been through so much and we couldn't be prouder of you," Garnet said, her voice soft, but stern. "But you need to let us help you. What's going on?"

Steven looked away, unable to hold his own gaze.

"You should already know," Steven muttered, just loud enough for Garnet to hear. The fusion stiffened as she processed this. "I sacrificed myself to Homeworld. My gem was removed. I found out mom was Pink Diamond."

With each statement, Steven's voice steadily grew louder and more unstable. His vision blurred as more tears pooled out of his eyes and his hand went to his forehead as bursts of pain shot behind his eyes. His tongue felt like lead and his thoughts were starting to stall, but White couldn't contain it all.

"And the Diamonds are going to invade Earth! It was all pointless!"

"It wasn't pointless," Garnet told him, though Steven heard the tremor in her voice. "We have a chance to change everything now. Before you left, you were known to Homeworld as the leader of the rebellion, but now they think you're a leader of Homeworld. If anyone can change their mind, it's you."

Steven's hand dropped from his forehead as she stared, dumfounded, at Garnet. She really didn't understand. She knew who he was, or, at least, what gem he had embedded in his naval, but she still didn't get it. Pink never had any clout on Homeworld. She was a jester gem, a failed Diamond who never followed their rules; she was free spirit they couldn't control, so she ran away and made her own life on Earth. She made terrible decisions, hurt so many people and gems, and then she just vanished.

But that's not what Steven wanted to tell them. In fact, he wanted to say the exact same thing White was whispering in his ear, but never would have without her influence.

"So you want me to be Pink Diamond too?"

Garnet recoiled. Her form glowed a bright white and, before Steven could even register what was happening, her form split in two.

"No, no Steven, that's not what I meant!" Ruby squeaked, her face even redder than normal as her doe eyes looked desperately at Steven.

"Yes it is," Sapphire said, emotionlessly, though the ice shards at her feet told everyone in the room that she wasn't feeling as numb as she portrayed. "Steven is right. The Diamonds are coming to Earth. We'll need to reason with them, but they won't listen to us." She looked at Steven, her all-seeing eye shrouded by hair. "But they will listen to you, Steven."

He wanted to scream at her. To tell her that she was looking too far ahead in the future, but he didn't make a sound. He couldn't. He was rooted to the spot as realization slammed into him: Garnet was gone. She was gone...because of him.

"Learning about Rose wasn't easy for any of us," Sapphire continued with a tremor in her voice. "We almost came undone when we saw White remove Steven's gem. When we saw what it truly was. It's made it impossible to predict what is going to happen: the future, your future, Steven, it's blurrier than ever before. I...I thought I understood Rose. I thought I knew what to do. But I was wrong. And I'm sorry."

"You should be," Steven barked at her. "If you could just see what was going to happen, then you'd see what White has planned!"

Silence met his outburst. Even White, who had been trying everything she could to smother his voice, was quiet.

"White Diamond?" Pearl's voice came from behind them. Everyone whipped around, except for Sapphire, who simply raised her head. "She's leaving Homeworld?"

Steven nodded; he felt White tug him further down. Her nails dug into his mind so hard that he was shocked the Crystal Gems didn't see him wince from the sudden pain. She was ripping, tearing, pulling him in two; doing anything she could to stop him. His head was on fire; every thought ignited another ember that White fanned until it burst into flames. If it was possible to choke in your own head, Steven was doing it. But he still had strength left for one last warning.

"She'll stop at nothing to get Pink back."

Pearl nodded once, a look of understanding on her face. "She isn't like Blue and Yellow Diamond," she explained for the sake of the others gathered around them. "She's worse than them. She has the power to control gems. If she comes to Earth, we'll need to be prepared. I wonder if Peridot and I can whip up something that deflects her power."

She snapped her fingers with a sudden idea and looked at Steven. "Your shield should be able to help too. If Rose could block corruption, then you may be able to block White's power."

Steven dropped his head and White mused on one word: Corruption. He felt her shuffle through his memories and images of past battles and deformed gems flashed in front of his eyes too quickly for him to process.

"So that's why you survived," he heard White whisper to herself. He felt a pang of guilt come from her, before she shook it off. "Just another problem we'll have to fix once the colony is under control."

"Steven?" He was jolted back to reality at Pearl's call. "Are you alright?"

He shook his head once.

"I can't help you," he said, quietly. "I can't stop her."

Pearl knelt down and tried to put her hand on his shoulder, but Steven stepped away from her. He became suddenly aware that he was surrounded by the gems. All of their eyes were on him. All of them were giving him that same stare: furrowed brows, soft eyes filled with concern, pouted lips as they begged him to let them help. But he couldn't let them help — he could barely be in the same room with them. White's displeasure and disgust with the lot of them made his skin crawl, it made his eyes dart to every possible escape route, and it took every ounce of White's own control to not subdue them as she would.

That was the one good thing about all of this, Steven realized, she couldn't out herself. She couldn't hurt them or force them into submission. That wasn't a very Steven thing to do after all.

And although Pink had hurt her family in the past, White knew that hurting this family wouldn't be in character for her either.

So, instead of doing everything she wanted, Steven found himself turning and running toward the door. Amethyst called out to him, but he kept moving. Down the wooden steps to his house, across the beach and through the opening in the fence, until he was far away from the home; until his lungs burned and his legs couldn't carry him any further.

Until he physically ran into someone up on Brooding Hill.

"Ow!"

Steven stumbled backwards, but a hand reached out and grabbed his shirt to steady him.

"Lars?"

The teen looked down at Steven, surprised, but unharmed from being collided into.

"Hey, Steven," he said, his tone light but his face dark. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I…," Steven started. "What are you doing here?"

Lars sighed and looked over his shoulder. His eyes wandered over to Beach City, which was just a distant view, to the glittering ocean. Lar's face looked exactly how Steven felt; conflicted, worried, and at a loss.

"I went to space," Lars said slowly. "Twice."

Steven walked over next to him and looked over the city. He knew exactly what Lars meant. It was the same thought he had when he woke up on Jasper's ship. That felt like a lifetime ago.

"I was a prisoner," Lars continued. "And then I broke out. I was so scared, Steven," he admitted, his voice stable as he spoke, as if he had accepted what happened. "But I knew I had to keep going. I knew I had to act like you if I wanted to live. If I wanted to save you."

Lars sighed and looked down at the boy, who was looking back up at him with an odd look on his face.

"I never realized how much pressure you were under," Lars said, quietly. "And you're just a kid. You're so much stronger than I thought you were."

Steven stayed silent.

"I guess, what I'm trying to say," Lars continued, "Is that I understand now. I'm sorry for how I treated you in the past. How I handled all this gem stuff. How I blamed your mom. If you ever need someone who isn't involved in all of this craziness, then you can talk to me, okay?"

Again, Steven didn't say anything, but he silently pleaded with Lars to keep talking. To keep pushing him and flaring up his emotions. If he could just get one more outburst, then maybe the gems would figure it out. Maybe, just maybe, they could stop this before White was able to get injectors back to Earth.

Lars sighed again. "You know, something must really be bugging you if you're not talking. Or crying. Seriously, Steven, I expected water works or something by now. Or maybe a thank you for saving you from Homeworld?"

The teen paused for a moment and glanced nervously to the sky. "Well, I guess maybe don't thank me. We are just waiting for an attack, huh? Because you're a Diamond or something, right? What does that even mean?"

Steven shook his head slowly. "It means my mom was one of the four leaders of the gem race," he said, voice soft. White fed him the words, but she was the one keeping her own annoyance at bay for having to explain Pink's importance to a human.

"So she was one of the tall ladies?"

Steven almost laughed as White screamed "TALL LADIES?" in the back of his mind.

"Yeah," he answered. "But she was different. She was going to turn Earth into a gem colony, which would have killed all life on the planet. But she saw how beautiful Earth was and didn't go through with it. Instead, she rebelled against Homeworld, started a war, faked her death, and then hid here for thousands of years."

"Wow," Lars breathed, his eyes fixated on Steven. "She sounds kind of awesome."

Steven's hand instinctively covered his gem and he nodded once. "I wish I knew her," he breathed out. "I wish she was still here."

"But," Lars said. He put his hand on Steven's shoulder and held it there, despite Steven's attempt to shrug it off. "Then you wouldn't be here."

Steven just shrugged.

"Steven," Lars breathed. He knelt down and turned Steven to face him. "Everyone in Beach City has you to thank for something. You helped Kiki stand up to her sister. You helped Sour Cream deal with his dad. You helped Sadie stand up for herself. And you helped me find my courage. Your mom couldn't do that."

"But she could stop all this," Steven gestured vaguely toward the sky.

"Could she?" Lars asked, rather forcefully. "She started a war and hid here; you said it yourself. And because of that, Earth is still being attacked!"

Realization slammed into Steven like a brick wall.

"You're right," he breathed. His hand clenched over his gem and wadded up his shirt. "She wouldn't know how to handle it."

Lars nodded encouragingly. "And do you?"

Steven looked him right in the eye and shook his head. "Not with…," he started, his eyes flitting down to his gem.

"Your mom?"

Steven managed to shake his head and his eyes jumped from his gem to the sky.

"What's wrong?" Lars said, his eyes now following Steven's gaze up to space and down to his gem. He reached down to move Stevne's hand, but Steven forcible slapped it away.

"I'm sorry!" he burst out. "But she...she…," he couldn't say anything more. He was running again and this time, White had no intention of getting him to stop.

Lars just let him go. He watched the troubled kid run back down the hill and stumble more than once, as if he was fighting against something that was pulling him forward at a faster speed than he could manage to run. And then, Lars pulled out his phone. He didn't have any of the gems listed, but he did have someone else.

He put it to his ear and his heart jumped when someone picked up after the second ring.

"Sadie, I think something's wrong with Steven," he spoke, hurriedly. "Text Connie and have her tell the gems everything I am about to tell you."

… … … … … … … … … … … …

"How _dare _they!"

White was on a rampage of her own in Steven's head as he sat under Funland's pier. He heard people walking, laughing, and screaming above him, but they were just a distant echo in his ears compared to White's thunderous rage.

"TALL LADIES?! And all of them wanted to touch you! Why is that? Why did they think it is okay to place their filthy hands on a Diamond? How _dare _they treat you as an equal. They know who you are. They know you're not a Rose Quartz. And they...how _dare _they!"

"Yes," Steven muttered dully, his voice lost to the waves and footsteps above him. "How dare they treat me like their family."

"FAMILY?!"

Steven sighed heavily. "Oh, I know," he said, voice heavy with sarcasm. "A real family is controlling. A real family pushes away their loved ones and ignores them. A real family starts a war and fights with one another."

It was so unlike him to say that, but he was so tired of White demeaning everyone around him. He was sick of her acting like she was better than everyone.

He was sick of her acting like she cared about Pink.

"A family punishes those that act out of line," White replied with a snap to her voice.

"But not like this!" Steven nearly yelled. "They don't make them feel cornered and trapped! They try to help! Like the Crystal Gems were trying to do! Even Lars was trying to help!"

"A human, a pearl, a defective amethyst, and a ruby could never understand the pressure a Diamond is under," White countered. "And that sapphire is blind to it too."

"But they're trying to understand!" Steven was on his feet now, though he knew it did no good. "And that makes them better than you!"

White was silent.

"You never tried to understand my mom! You just wanted her to be like Yellow and Blue, but she never was! Pearl understood that! That's why they both ran away together! It's why Garnet joined them! They all just wanted to be understood!"

White was still silent.

"And look at me," Steven continued. He paced along the beach, not caring as the waves soaked the bottom of his jeans. "You're literally in my head, and all you care about is my gem. You don't understand me. You don't understand anything around me. You don't even try to!"

He turned and looked out to sea and shook his head. "I get it now," he said, his voice lower. "All you ever wanted was Pink to follow your rules. But your rules didn't make her happy. They don't make _me _happy. You were never her family."

"We could have been," White said, her voice cut deep, sharpened by an emotion Steven never expected from the gem matriarch. It rolled off her, caused his own blood to boil with yearning for something he never had, caused his gem to heat up and his face to flush as his skin was encased in a faint pink glow. "But _she _ruined it for us. She never followed the rules. She was always doing what was best for herself instead of what was best for -"

"For _you_?" Steven quickly countered.

The heat left his gem immediately. The pink faded from his skin.

"Mom would rather wage a war against Homeworld, against you, instead of live by your rules. She would rather fake her own death than let Earth fall into your hands," he slowly said, well aware that this wasn't the usual Steven Universe approach to things. But he couldn't be like Steven right now. He had to be someone White would listen to. He had to be like a Diamond. He had to be like White.

"She was foolish," White whispered, her voice still laced with jealousy.

"No," Steven said. "She was free."

White didn't respond. Her emotions tumbled over the back of Steven's mind like a hurricane slamming against the beach. Each wave of emotion was just as strong as the last, but none of them strong enough to beat down his resolve. Her frustration, annoyance, jealousy, denial, and disgust was nothing compared to the truth.

Sure, Steven wasn't sure if his mom still existed. He wasn't sure if he was her, if she was still inside the gem, or if she was truly gone. Her powers were always tied to his emotions or that of others he was connected to. He never heard her voice, never felt like she was guiding him. But he did know two things.

One: his gem chose to be him. It could have turned into Pink. Or Rose. But no, when he opened his eyes back on Homeworld, he was looking at a pink version of himself. And when they fused back together, he felt everything his mom promised he would in her video: him loving being himself.

Two: Even if Pink was still alive, she would never give White what she wanted. She would stand her ground with her real family, right until the bitter end. She would protect them when it mattered most.

And somehow, through the storm of emotions that raged in the back of Steven's mind, Steven knew that he wasn't the only one who believed in the latter. She just wasn't willing to admit it.

… … … … … … … … … … … …

**AN: This one was a bit rougher to write, but I hope you all enjoyed it just the same. To the guest reviewer who compared White to DC characters, I hope that's a good thing! I am, admittedly, not well-versed in DC. Anywho, my outline says there are six more chapters left! What do you think is going to happen next? **


	11. Chapter 11: The Colony

"Okay, is it just me or does something feel, I don't know, off about Steven?" Amethyst asked as soon as the aforementioned boy ran out of his home.

"Maybe he's just stressed about Homeworld?" Ruby suggested, but no one seemed to believe that was the only thing wrong.

"No, it was something more than that," Pearl mused. Her fingers cupped the bottom of her chin as she thought about it. "Why would White Diamond get involved in this? Steven made it a point to mention her."

"And why is he questioning my future vision?" Sapphire asked quietly. "He asked Garnet too, but I didn't think it was strange then."

"It's obvious isn't it?" Amethyst said. "White did something to Steven. He learned or saw something when he was on Homeworld that has him super worried. But what?"

Pearl shook her head. "I don't know. All we do know is that White removed Steven's gem and…," she paused suddenly, her eyes wide. "Has anyone actually seen his gem?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Wait," Amethyst interjected. "What if White still has it?"

"No no," Sapphire said, her tone soothing, but shaky. "That's impossible. Steven wouldn't be able to survive without."

Ruby nodded too, a knowing look on her face.

Pearl crossed her arms and looked at the blue gem inquisitively. "And you're sure you can't see his future?"

Sapphire nodded. "I can see small bits and pieces, but most of it is hidden to me like it always has been. His human half is too unpredictable."

Amethyst and Ruby shared a glance with one another.

"You sure it's just that?" Amethyst asked. "And that this isn't a lasting thing from his gem being...you know?"

Sapphire shook her head. "I'm not sure about anything right now," she said, softly. If her eye wasn't covered by her bangs, the Crystal Gems would have been able to see her worried glance up to the sky.

"Well, we need -" Pearl was cut off by her phone ringing. "It's Connie," she said.

She put the phone to her ear and barely greeted it before she put it down again.

"Okay, Connie, you're on speakerphone."

"Hi guys," came Connie's voice. She sounded hurried and out of breath. "I just had a weird conversation with Sadie, who got some weird information from Lars. It's about Steven."

The gathered gems shared a look.

"Go on," Pearl said.

"Lars thinks Steven was trying to tell him something," Connie huffed out. "I'm on my way over right now, but I needed to tell you guys before Steven got home."

"Tell Lars what?" Amethyst pressed.

"He doesn't know!" Connie said. "It was like Steven _couldn't _tell him. Like something was stopping him. He kept acting weird and looking at his gem and then to the sky. And he was being weirdly silent. I don't know what it means, but Lars is really worried."

Pearl nearly dropped her phone as all color seemed to drain from her face.

"What do you mean 'he couldn't tell him'?" she asked, her voice just barely above a whisper.

"I don't know," Connie replied. "Lars thought he was too scared, but that doesn't sound like Steven."

"No, it doesn't," Amethyst said. She pulled herself off the couch and walked over to Pearl. "Did Lars say anything else?"

"No," Connie answered. "Just that something seemed really wrong."

"Connie," Pearl said suddenly. "It may not be safe for you to come here. I know you're worried about Steven, but until we know what's going on, I think you should stay home."

"What?!" Connie exclaimed. "No, I want to be there for him!"

"I know you do," Pearl said. "But we need to figure out what's going on without raising any suspicion. I think Homeworld may be watching Steven."

Silence met Pearl's words.

"O-okay," Connie said after a moment. "I understand. Let me know when you need me, okay?"

"I will," Pearl said. "Thank you, Connie. Goodbye." She snapped her phone closed and let out a long sigh. She ran her other hand down her face. "How could I be so blind?" she asked herself.

"Pearl?" Ruby questioned.

"Why else didn't Homeworld stop us from leaving orbit?" Pearl said. She started to pace, her voice steady, but there was a hint of panic underneath it. "They are tracking Steven. That's why White's involved. The Diamonds are planning something bigger than just a fight for Pink. They want to know more about Earth."

"But why?" Amethyst asked.

Pearl shook her head. "I don't know. But if Steven is indeed being watched, then we can't let Homeworld know that we're onto them."

"So we go all stealth-like and figure out what they're planning?" Ruby said, excitement gleaming in her wide eyes.

"Yes," Sapphire said. "We'll observe Steven and act like nothing is wrong."

"But something is wrong," Amethyst pointed out. "You two haven't flushed back together yet."

Ruby and Sapphire looked at each other and then quickly looked away.

"It's complicated," Sapphire said. "We never questioned who we are as Garnet or who Rose was. We blindly followed her...Pink Diamond."

"And now," Ruby said, her voice sad, "It just doesn't feel right. Ever since we learned about Rose and Pink, it was so hard to stay together. But we did it for Steven."

Sapphire nodded. "We want to be together for Steven now, but neither of us wants to go back to being something that we don't believe in anymore."

"Wait," Amethyst said, her entire body stiff. "You don't believe in Garnet anymore?!"

"No, we do!" Ruby quickly said, her hands in the air to pacify the fear in Amethyst's face and the tears in Pearl's eyes. "It's just tough right now."

"Don't worry," Sapphire inserted when Pearl opened her mouth to protest. "We'll fuse when Homeworld is here. But right now, we need to find ourselves."

Pearl nodded once, though she didn't look happy about it.

Amethyst shrugged. "If that's what you need," she said before she gave them a small smile. "But what do we do about Steven?"

Sapphire looked to the door and nodded once. "Ruby and I will keep an eye on him."

"Right," Pearl said with a nod. "I'll keep working with Peridot on defenses. Amethyst, make sure the town is ready for a quick evacuation."

The gems nodded and looked at each other with worried faces before each of them left the house to start doing their respective tasks. Before she left, Sapphire glanced back to the sky.

"What is it?" Ruby asked her, too quietly for anyone to hear.

"The Moon Base," Sapphire said. "That's where we need to start."

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Steven waited until the house was quiet before he took the warp straight to the galaxy warp platform. He felt White tug at his legs and force him to move forward, but her voice was strangely absent. When she did speak, it was lost in the wind of emotion that spiraled in the back of Steven's mind in a gray mess of clouds.

He could feel her turmoil; it was the same as before, but instead of subsiding, it seemed to become more violent, and then calm, then a new flurry would take over.

What White was so caught up in, though, Steven could only guess. She completely blocked herself from her after their conversation under FunLand's pier. All he knew was that White knew Pink would stop at nothing for her freedom, even if it meant White destroying the Earth.

But that still didn't seem right to Steven. His mom loved it here. She cared for the gems and his dad. She fought a war to protect it. She wouldn't just let it fall back into Homeworld's hands without a fight.

His hand unconsciously grabbed at his shirt, right over his gem. He knew the answer. At least, he thought he did. His mom wasn't here. She never was. White was wrong. She was a lot of things, but she wasn't the type of person who would leave behind everyone who loved her, even if they never knew the real her.

Right?

The light of the warp faded and Steven froze. The galaxy warp was covered in robonoids and a familiar round head of hair stood with her back toward Steven. She was as stiff as the boy, obviously alerted by the sound of the warp of his arrival.

She slowly turned, her face contorted as she tried not to show the fear in her eyes and her quivering lip.

"My Diamond," she said, her hands raised to her chest and formed a diamond over the now pink insignia on her chest.

Steven's eyes fell to her gem, which gleamed brightly, unscathed.

"You're okay!" he exclaimed; a weight he didn't know he had lifted from his chest.

"Oh," Tennis lowered her gaze to her gem briefly before she straightened. "Yes. I was repaired on Homeworld after our previous encounter. I must apologize, my Diamond, my behavior was less than satisfactory."

"No!" Steven said. He took a step forward and saw how the peridot tensed. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry."

The two stared at each other for a moment longer and Tennis finally dropped her salute.

"Well," she said, uncertain, as she turned back to the warp. "The warp to Homeworld is nearly complete. We should have feet on the ground to prepare the new kindergarten once you've approved the location."

Steven glanced at the small four-legged robots. They slowly moved along the edge of the warp, filling the cracks with a sparkling green liquid. The pearlescent surface slowly weaved itself back together as the liquid sank further into it.

"How does that work?" Steven asked.

Tennis glanced down to the robots and shrugged. "The gel is filled with nanobots whose primary function is to repair gem technology. It's quite ancient, by Homeworld standards, but it's lucky we kept these in storage."

"Oh," Steven said. He looked back to Tennis, who shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "You follow Pink Diamond now?"

She nodded once. "White Diamond thought it best for me to rejoin my original court."

"Can I tell you to stop repairing the warp?"

Tennis's eyebrow raised as she regarded Steven. "No, my Diamond. All colonies are required to be linked to Homeworld."

"I don't want Earth to become a colony," Steven dared to say. He waited for White to reprimand him, to take over his words, but she never did.

"You don't want a colony?" Tennis questioned. She pulled up a screen and shook her head. "I'm sorry, my Diamond, but this colony is moving forward under White's orders."

"But it's worth saving!"

"Why?" Tennis clapped her hand over her mouth immediately after asking this. Her eyes widened dramatically behind her visor and Steven saw the light on her gem reflect rapidly, which told him her hands were shaking.

He smiled at her slightly and the action caused her brow to relax into confusion.

"It's okay," he reassured her. He walked past her and over to the edge of the galaxy warp and pointed to the setting sun. "Because this planet is so full of life and beauty," he said. Tennis carefully approached him and stood just behind his shoulder. "Like this sunset; look at all the pretty colors."

"It's just molecules and small particles in the atmosphere changing direction," Tennis muttered. "But yes, I suppose it is pretty. We don't get to see something like this on Homeworld."

"And that's what's great about Earth," Steven said his voice light. "It's not just the sun; it's the trees, the beaches, the animals, the people — all of that will be gone if we complete this colony."

There was a pause. Not even White interrupted. Steven didn't even know if she was listening.

"Humans are primitive creatures," Tennis said. "I've seen them in the Zoo. Single-minded and oblivious to the real world."

"Some of them are," Steven said carefully. "But not all of them. If we're able to, we change and grow. It's like a flower. They start out as a seed, but if you plant it and take care of it, it blooms into something more."

Tennis looked at him strangely. "We don't have flowers on Homeworld."

"But you know what they are?"

"In theory," she said. "They're bulbous organic life that produces a smell to attract pollinators so they spread."

"So you know why they're important?"

"To organic life, yes, but gems don't need that type of life trying to reclaim the planet," Tennis said. She waved him off and turned back to look at the warp pad. Her last robonoid was almost done with the final crack, which stretched right down the heart of the pad.

"And that is what makes Earth special!" Steven exclaimed. "Everything on this planet is living together and changing together; isn't that worth studying or preserving?"

Tennis thought about it for a moment and then shrugged. "I don't see the point in it, My Diamond. While this planet is indeed beautiful, it is perfectly suited for a gem colony. The plans will take us forward as an empire and that is what is important."

"But what if it isn't?"

Tennis looked at her, her eyebrow raised. She said nothing, but the look on her face was clearly questioning his sanity.

"Didn't you ever want to be something more than someone who repairs gem technology?" Steven asked. He watched Tennis's eyes flick to her small army of robots and then back to him. "It's not a trick, I just want to know."

"What else could I be?" Tennis said after a moment. She was tense and watched Steven's every movement, clearly uncomfortable with her Diamond asking her such questions.

"On Earth, you can be anything you want!" Steven smiled at her. He reached out his hand, but she didn't take it. "You can study flowers and plants, you can make art, you can fly planes, you can do nothing and watch TV all day long!"

"Or you can turn yourself into a human," Tennis said, her care clearly gone out the window as she listened to Steven's words. And then she started laughing; a hysterical laugh that had her clasp her hands around her stomach and eyes water almost immediately. "Good one, My Diamond!"

"It's not a joke!" Steven told her, frustration rising in his chest. He thought he was close to breaking through to her, but she thought all of this was just another game.

"Of course not, my Diamond," Tennis's laughter stalled and she wiped a stray tear from her eyes. "Whatever you say."

"Listen," Steven urged. He lifted his shirt and for the first time in days, showed someone else his gem. Tennis's eyes dropped down to it and he swore he saw her turn a paler shade of green. She gulped slowly but stayed silent. "Earth lets you be who you want to be. Homeworld? This is what Homeworld does. I don't want Earth turning into something like that. I want to be me: I want to be Steven."

Tennis's eyes dropped to the ground and she glanced to the side. Her mouth thinned and her posture slipped from tense to unsure. Her right hand reached up and grabbed her left elbow.

"I guess I always wanted to be treated differently," she admitted, her voice so quiet that Steven barely heard her. "But it doesn't matter. That's not why I was made."

"Pink wasn't made to be a human," Steven pointed out.

"But she was made to be a Diamond and that's exactly what White Diamond is doing. This colony needs to be finished. I'm sorry, my Diamond, but we each have a role to play here. And mine is to finish connecting this planet to Homeworld."

The robonoid behind them jumped up happily and waddled back to Tennis's side. The warp gleaned behind them; flawless.

"It's a peridot's job to research the nature of colonies to ensure their production goes smoothly. It's a diamond's nature to expand our empire and rule your colonies with dignity and grace that's beyond my wildest dreams," Tennis said.

She showed Steven her gemstone and cleared her face of emotion before she tilted her head down. Her visor caught the last light of the sun and it reflected off it, making it impossible to see her eyes. Her arms raised and her hands bent into the shape of a diamond over her chest.

"And that's why I serve you, my Diamond."

Steven recoiled and she stepped back onto the warp pad.

"I finished repairs on the Moon Base earlier and will head back to Homeworld now, where I'll organize the injectors that you'll need. You'll get them in two Earth days. Until then, my Diamond," she said.

She was swallowed by a burst of light and Steven could only watch it fly up into space.

"Are you quite finished?" White's snappy voice coming out of nowhere caused Steven to jump out of his skin. "Blue and Yellow are waiting. Talk to them."

And then, her voice was gone, replaced by muddled thoughts and colors of pink, blue, yellow, and gray. And before feelings faded into the stormy clouds that was White's head, he felt one thing: a spike through his heart as the color pink flashed in his mind's eye.

And suddenly, he understood. He never knew Pink. White did. She was her family for thousands of years, and then she was dead. And then she wasn't. But she also wasn't herself. And no matter what she did, Pink refused to be herself, even at the threat of taking everything away from her.

White didn't want to admit that despite everything, she wasn't coming back.

His feet started taking him to the newest addition to the galaxy warp and his thoughts raced. If White was grasping at the hope that didn't exist, what did Blue and Yellow think? His feet left the ground as the warp raced him off.

"About time!"

Yellow's voice echoed around the glass dome and Steven slowly looked up to see Blue and Yellow's face projected in front of him. He was on the Moon Base, in front of the newly repaired console.

Yellow looked down at him, her face stern, and Blue seemed to be avoiding his gaze entirely.

"Hi," Steven said, his voice barely above a whisper as his eyes flitted between the two Diamonds. Just last week, they wanted to kill him, and now they were here, talking to him as if he was one of them. And in a way, he guessed he was. But still, he felt his hands shake as he played with the edge of his shirt.

"Stop fidgeting," Yellow snapped. "Honestly, Pink, it's like you're expecting to be punished."

"Maybe she is," Blue said quietly. "After all, hasn't all of this been punishment for her?"

"We've been over this," Yellow said. Her fingers pinched the bridge of her nose and she took a deep breath in. "She gets her colony. She has her status. All she has to do is be herself and we both know that's not hard for her." Yellow sounded torn between laughing and disapproval at her own statement.

Blue sighed and turned to look at Steven. Her sad eyes scanned him up and down before they stopped on his stomach. He saw pain flash in her face and tears pool in the corner of her eyes before she blinked them away.

"Are you alright?" she asked him, her voice soft.

Steven didn't answer. He simply couldn't — the words he wanted to say just weren't there.

"Pink, you're being ridiculous," Yellow said, her irritation drinking through her militant voice.

"Is she?" Blue asked again. "Yellow, we both know this isn't our Pink."

Steven's heart leaped at these words. "W-what?" But he was ignored.

"White is controlling her, but that doesn't' change things," Yellow argued as if she had said this at least a dozen times before.

"But it does!" Blue said, she turned to face Yellow. "Don't you see that? Our Pink should be smiling at us, not...that!" she waved her hand over to Steven and Yellow glanced his way.

"Tell me," she said, directly to Steven. "Are you scared of us?"

Steven just looked in her eyes, cold and ruthless. He felt his mouth open slightly, but no words came out. But this wasn't because White wasn't letting him speak, it was different — a cold haze in his mind as he remembered Yellow towering over him, insulting him as they walked through the halls of Homeworld, laughing about the thought of his death.

And Yellow's eyes softened like she was truly seeing him for the first time.

But then something changed. Joy bubbled within Steven and a laugh that he certainly didn't feel broke through his lips.

"I'm fine!" he said, though he certainly didn't feel it. "Just a little game, Blue and Yellow."

Yellow and blue exchanged a glance but both straightened and nodded.

"Pink, you had us going," Yellow said, though her voice quivered slightly at the beginning of the sentence.

"Yes, what a funny joke," Blue said, a fake smile plastered on her long face. "But this is not the time for jokes. Your colony, do you need help planning it?"

"No no," Steven said, his hand waving her off limply like he was nothing more than a puppet attached to a string. "I'm just playing a game. I'll get the colony running in no time, just like I promised all those years ago."

"And you're sure you can handle it?" Yellow asked. "It's a big responsibility."

"I'll be fine!" Steven tittered with the fakest joy he had ever heard. If he could have cringed at the sound of his own voice, he would have.

"Okay," Yellow said. She glanced at Blue quickly.

"And you're happy?" Blue asked, hesitantly.

"Of course!" Steven exclaimed. "I have my colony back. I have my family back. I'm no longer stuck in this organic human. Why wouldn't I be?"

Blue opened her mouth but paused before she closed it and nodded once. "Very well," she settled on saying. "We'll let you get back to work."

The transmission ended and Steven's eyes focused on the Earth in the background. Right now, it was calm, with some clouds swirling above the deep blue ocean. His eyes stung with tears as White moved his hand toward the console. Everything he loved would be gone. In two days, the Earth was going to be permanently changed.

The console reactivated and plans of Pink's old colony began to flash in front of the screen as White began to search for an injection point.

And unseen to any of them, a small gem sat on the stairs, just out of sight. Her red figure hunched over in despair as she finally understood what was going on. As she stood on shaky legs and walked soundlessly down the spiral stairs to the pink feline that waited for her at the bottom.

It was much worse than they feared. And they had less than two days to not only save the Earth but to save the person they loved the most: to save Steven.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … …

**AN: Sorry about the delay! I have no excuses. I just don't know where the time went! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you next time. **


	12. Chapter 12: The Reveal

**AN: I am hoping to get chapters out more routinely now that I am back in my office at work, which means less distractions and more time to focus on what really matters during dead periods. Like writing. **

… … … … … … … … … … … …

Steven didn't know how long White had him sitting at the control console. He tried to keep up with the flashing images to learn more about the colony, but eventually, it all just faded into a tired blur. Plans upon plans flashed by, all approved by White or tweaked slightly until she was satisfied.

Small surges of her thrill would keep Steven awake — White was so out of touch with the world that planning a new colony was actually fun for her. But every time Steven's eyes would droop, her heart would leap at the sight of something Pink designed six thousand years ago and phrases like "No, this won't do" would float in and out of his head.

When he did have a chance to doze off, his sleep wasn't restful. His dreams, once filled with Crying Breakfast Friends, Cookie Cats, and Pizza Monsters, were so different now. In one, he remembered laying on top of a giant strawberry. The scent of the old battlefield was strong and sweet; his back cool against the fruit as little seeds poked him through his shirt. The wind rustled the leaves and everything was quiet.

Quiet as the night sky glistened with hundreds of injectors silently floating down, their drills pointed straight at Earth.

Another was of Blue and Yellow Diamond. They stood next to him and smiled at what they saw: humans being rounded up for a second Human Zoo. Stepping over gem shards as they moved in rows toward a giant spaceship.

"Pink, you really thought this through," White trilled again, her voice actually impressed at once. "Maybe we were wrong to doubt your ability to run a colony."

Steven just sighed; his eye lids were so heavy and his heart felt like a piece of living concrete in his chest. Every once in a while, he would catch a glimpse of himself in the reflection of the chair, floor, or console. The thing that worried him most wasn't the dark circles under his eyes and a frown that he was too tired to feel on his face — it was that it didn't show how he truly felt. For the first time in his life, he wasn't being betrayed by his face.

No one saw the nearly overflowing dam of tears that White struggled to hold back, or hear the silent plea that was stuck on his tongue, or see the look to utter panic that his eyes couldn't reveal. Everything inside of him just _hurt. _It was worse than when he convinced himself he didn't want to be friends with Connie, worse than when he couldn't heal Amethyst's gem and she almost died, and worse when he distracted Pearl and caused her form to poof.

It was even worse than when White removed his gem.

He doubted he could even describe to the gems, should they ever ask. He doubted he would even want to. They didn't need to feel like every inch of their hearts were being smothered in an icy hand with nails that dug into him and pulled at the very core of his being. They didn't need to feel needles running up and down their legs every time they were forced to move when they didn't want to, or yanked by unseen strings that were attached to their wrists. They didn't need to know what it felt like to be a puppet.

"They wouldn't even remember it," White waved off his thoughts without acknowledging the real worry behind them. "I suspect you only do, Steven, because you're human. But Pink? She doesn't feel a thing. She's just using you as a scapegoat to my power. Hiding behind your humanity."

Steven paused his self pity for a moment.

"What did you say?"

"Pink wouldn't feel a thing. Honestly, Steven, you should listen," White tutted, carelessly.

Pink wouldn't feel a thing? He looked down at his hand and turned it over so he could see the lines on his palm. If Pink wouldn't feel a thing, why would that make her any different from the other gems White controlled? WHy would she be able to hide behind Steven; after all, White was convinced they were two separate entities. If Pink was hiding, why would his gem — the only part left of her — be gray? Did that mean…?

"Done!"

Steven looked at the console just in time to see the screens vanish from view. It was all him. It was never Pink. His mom had nothing to do with any of this. She was gone.

It was _always _him. Him and White.

A piece of concrete fell from his heart and for the first time in days, he felt like he could breathe again. Of course it had always been him. His gem didn't reform as Pink. It didn't reform as Rose. It was _him. _He could have berated himself for falling victim to White's own delusions if he weren't so relieved. If it didn't hurt so much to laugh, he would have laughed until even White couldn't hold back the flood of emotions; until the chuckles turned into choked sobs and the tears of joy turned into mourning. Mourning for his mom, for his planet, and for everything he's done.

He's hurt so many people. His family. He shattered his mom's first pearl.

But it wasn't really him, was it?

He glanced outside and took in the beauty that he nearly missed — the sun peeking over the edge of the Earth to wake up it's sleepy inhabitants. The brilliant gold glow slowly stretched up Steven's feet and onto his face. Just for a moment, he felt the warmth on his skin.

And then White had him stand. The glow was gone, the warmth was replaced with cold stings that ran up and down his spine to his ankles as she forced him to move. He would need to be back before the gems noticed he was gone all night. He would need to be in bed before Pearl left her room in the Temple.

He quickly descended down the stairs, past the empty room with a floating black sphere, past the murals of the Diamonds, who watched him with harsh, unseeing stares, and to the center of the first floor room, where the new warp gsat dull in the shadows. As he stepped on it, he noticed something in the corner: a small tuft of pink fur.

White paid no attention to it, but Steven? His heart leapt and then sank further than it had before. But he didn't dare connect the dots beyond that fur belonging to Lion. He instead forced himself to think of the time he and the gems were last here. Peridot was showing them the plans for the cluster. She had stolen a Diamond communication device and nearly outed them to Yellow Diamond.

But she didn't betray them. And Steven wasn't about to betray her and the others.

So he stepped on the warp and allowed White to take him home, thinking only of past adventures and not the clump of Lion hair in the corner of the room.

But he couldn't hide his shock and relief with a hand reached through the light, snatched him by the shirt, and pulled him off his feet. He couldn't stop himself from thinking: they knew.

"Steven Quartz Universe!"

Garnet's voice boomed around him and the light finally faded to show he was back in his house. The gems stood around him: Garnet tall and stoic, finally back together, with a snarl on her face that was scary enough to poof a gem with one glance; Pearl just behind her, her spear pointed straight at Steven with worry and fear in her eyes; and Amethyst, behind them, her hand half-heartedly and loosely holding her whip, concern and disbelief on her face.

"Uh, guys?" Amethyst whispered. "His gem."

Steven watched Garnet's head dip as she slowly looked down. She held him by his shirt, which bunched up and revealed his stomach. Her scowl fell and her mouth opened in shock as she took in the new shape and hue.

A gray diamond, staring right back at them.

"I didn't want to believe it," she whispered. "S-Steven, I'm so sorry."

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY BABY, WHITE?!" Pearl's shrill voice came out of nowhere and caused everyone in the room to jump.

White, who was taking in the scene, stayed silent for a moment.

And then she laughed. A cruel, chilling laugh that was as colorless as the gem on Steven's stomach came out of his mouth. Garnet dropped Steven in shock at the sound and stepped back. Steven fell to the ground and landed gracefully on the balls of his feet. He straightened and looked at the gems, through White's eyes, felt her amusement and her yearning to finally squash the gems that dared treat her Pink like an equal, and heard her amusement echo around the house in a voice that wasn't quite his.

"Let him go!" Pearl yelled, her spear now aimed straight at Steven's gem.

White slowly turned Steven's head so he stared at her. Her spear shook as he felt his face morph into a smirk and his eyebrow cocked.

"A Pearl? Ordering a Diamond? How funny!"

It wasn't Steven's voice anymore. It was White's. White's mixed with his in something that sounded like a poorly tuned radio; unclear and out of tune both emotionally and harmoniously.

"Gems, move!" Garnet ordered, taking no time to let White process what was happening.

In another moment, Steven was pushed down and pinned to the ground, Pearl on top of him and with the shaft of her spear pushed into his chest. She was gentle, but firm. Her face was torn between a snarl and motherly concern.

"Sorry," she whispered to Steven. "But we need to restrain you."

He would have told her it was okay, that he understood, but he couldn't.

Garnet stood over Steven's head, the Temple door to her back, and Amethyst walked over and wrapped her whip around his legs. Her tie was tight, but not uncomfortable — she seemed to actively be turning her whip so the purple barbs didn't dig into his legs.

His eyes would have watered at how thoughtful they were being, despite him being the enemy, but White was in control now. Every ounce of her power was directed at Steven; it weighed him down, smothered his mind and pinned his limbs in heavy chains that only she could lift. The only thing he could control was the ache in his heart, which grew every second with White's amusement.

"How cute," White said through Steven's mouth. "So this is the best Pink's rebellion can do?"

"We don't want a fight," Pearl told her in a voice that was as harsh as she could muster while looking into Steven's eyes.

"You don't have a choice," White told her, the edge under her words unmistakable.

Before anyone could react, White removed her icy grip from Steven's gem and the emotions she had been smothering raced forward. All of the hatred for her, for his actions, and for what he was doing boiled in his veins and his head immediately began to pound. His body shook violently and vision blurred so Pearl's face was no more than a pale blob above him; everything seemed to be shutting down around him.

And he was so tired. So tired of fighting her and so tired of not being himself. Tired of being tired and being kept awake from nightmares and White's planning. He didn't have the strength in him to fight the emotional strain; he couldn't stop the blood thundering in his ears, he couldn't stop his stomach churning, he couldn't stop the room from tilting under him; all he could do was let it out.

Just like White wanted.

His cheeks burned hot with tears and his gem sent a flood of energy through his body. He didn't need to be able to see the shocked look on Pearl's face to know his skin was covered in a pink aura.

"Let it out, Steven," White cooed. "Or I will for you."

"No, please," Steven whispered to White.

"Get BACK!" White yelled, through Steven's mouth. His gem sent a burst of pain through his spine as White physically forced out a surge of power. At his yell, the ground beneath him cracked and fissured up the walls. Pearl was thrown off, into Amethyst, and the two landed with a thud in the middle of the living room. Garnet was tossed into the temple door with a sickening thud.

And Steven stood. He glanced at their disheveled forms and felt White's near boredom at the lack of a fight, but most of all, he felt his guilt creep up his spine as he heard Amethyst groan in pain from under Pearl and saw Garnet pick herself up, her hands holding herself tightly as if it was a struggle to stay fused.

But Garnet lunged forward to grab him, regardless of her own emotional turmoil. She stayed together. And she was ready to fight.

Steven sidestepped and Garnet stumbled forward slightly. She recovered and turned to face Steven, putting herself between him and Pearl and Amethyst. He stepped in front of the warp and put his back to it, so he faced all three of the Crystal Gems.

"I can't say I'm surprised this is all you can do," White told them. "A defective pearl, an overcooked Amethyst, and whatever you are."

White sighed dramatically and shook her head before she continued. "This is just like you, Pink. You enable their terrible behaviors, so you can be the best of the worst."

"What are you talking about?" Pearl yelled at White as she stood and helped Amethyst to her feet. "Pink is gone!"

"Yeah, Rose gave up her form to make Steven," Amethyst told her.

Garnet nodded once. "There is no future with Pink Diamond in it," she told White, flatly.

"Pity," White said as she used Steven's eyes to scan the gems in front of her. "All of this evidence and you still deny that your Diamond lives. I guess there isn't a spot for you in her world."

Steven stepped forward and White put his hands around his gem. It glowed and it ached and caused his stomach to convulse as she yanked something new from him. His hands pushed out from his stomach and a pink hexagonal barrier appeared in front of him, about three inches thick and his height. It flew outward and expanded in size.

The first one slammed into Garnet, who gripped the edges and dug her heels into the floor. The fusion didn't move. Not until two more barriers slammed into the first and forced her back against the wall near the front door.

The fourth hit Pearl and pinned her to the ground.

Amethyst was faster. She curled up and rolled around the house, dodging everything she could while desperately trying to get close to Steven. Every missed barrier slammed into this house and left scars, while every time Amethyst's whip appeared, it vanished, she would be forced to throw herself out of the way.

"Enough of this," White snarled.

Amethyst, who stood in the center of the living room, was suddenly surrounded by pink barriers that seemed to grow from the floor and they encased her within seconds. She slammed into it with all her might, but nothing worked.

And Steven, he felt the sweat from the effort dripping down his back. He felt his knees wobble and, had it not been for White's iron grip holding him steady, he would be on the ground from the strain. His body begged her to stop, but she wouldn't listen.

"Steven!" Garnet yelled, her back against a study wooden beam. Her eyes already followed the beam to the ceiling. If she broke free, she risked the entire house falling on them. She risked hurting Steven — even White wouldn't be able to react quickly enough to stop the debris if the ceiling caved in.

Steven slowly turned to face her and he took in her panicked form and watched the visor vanish from her face. Three eyes stared back at him, pleading. "You're part human, you can fight her!"

"Pink, why don't you show them what happens when gems disobey a Diamond?" White said, her voice flat with boredom now. She didn't wait for Steven to respond.

The walls around Amethyst began pushing in all sides.

"What?!" Amethyst yelled. She shapeshifted into her Puma form, large and muscular, and pushed with all her might. But she couldn't slow the walls. She made herself as small as she could and yelled at Steven, begged him to stop, but he couldn't.

He wanted too more than anything, though. He yelled at White to stop, but no words came out. He tried to focus on the walls and take back control, but they kept shrinking. He tried to force White out with the sheer panic he felt, but it wasn't enough.

All he could do was helplessly watch as Amethyst cowered under the panels.

Fear filled her eyes as she stared at Steven, her mouth moved in please he didn't hear, and her gem, so exposed, pressed against the pink barrier.

"Please," Steven begged silently to White. Even his thoughts were shaky and breathless. "I gave myself up to you to avoid this. They didn't know about Pink. Pearl couldn't say anything. They're innocent. Please, don't hurt my family."

"You're family?" White sneered to him. "We're your family! You hurt us, Pink! You betrayed us! And you've only gotten worse!"

Steven stared at Amethyst as White's words rang in his head. He's gotten worse. The room tilted under his feet to the point where White couldn't keep him standing. Steven fell to his knees and his eyes widened, unseeing, as a crack appeared over Amethyst's left eye and her skin morphed with the color of the barrier. Her face rounded and her remaining eye changed into a terrified and begging pink one. The wood in his home vanished, replaced by gray walls.

Pink Pearl started back at him. The air around them grew heavy and toxic; every breath every breath Steven drew scorched his lungs and charred his already constricted throat. He lifted his hand and heard his past self tell White that he was Steven Universe. That he wouldn't hurt her.

But a jagged wave of energy burst from his gem and sliced Pink Pearl's form in half. It cut through her gem like butter. She poofed, her eyes the last thing Steven would ever see of her. And her gem fell to the ground in two pieces.

But before it hit the ground, one half vanished and the other slowly turned green and changed into a soft triangle. A hand seemed to grow out of the hand of it, forming an arm and then a tall pale green body with rounded yellow hair.

Tennis stood in front of him, her back pinned against the destroyed Diamond control panel as Steven's anger drained to nothing. She held her right hand to her chest and ran off, her face filled with nothing but terror. Her form glitched out as Steven followed her.

It glitched and fizzled. It grew smaller and more stout. The green uniform turned into a black tanktop and shorts. The only thing that didn't change between Tennis and Amethyst was the fear on their faces.

He had gotten worse. He was just like White. Just like his mom.

Just like a Diamond.

Unseen to Steven, the three Crystal Gems gasped out in panic and called Steven's name in shock as the pink aura around his skin glowed brighter. They watch his normally kind and soft eyes get enveloped by the color and two white diamond pupils form in the center. His gem glowed a nearly blinding white.

He fell forward and landed on all fours, his head falling and eyes widening as he stared blankly at the floor. The wood beneath his palms cracked and slowly splinted.

But no, Steven thought, he wasn't just like his mom. He was worse than her. He was starting another war and this time, he was Homeworld's pawn.

"Steven?"

But he didn't hear the call. He didn't even know who spoke. He wasn't even aware of the gem's eyes staring at him, or Amethyst, who was now just a head and a pair of arms and legs sticking out of her gem. He only knew this feeling.

What even was this feeling? It was something he felt before, but often shoved away and ignored. It was something that never took precedence over everyone else's problem. It wasn't physical. It wasn't even emotional. It was like a spike driving into his mind, chunking away at his armor until pink venom seeped into it and burned into his brain. But the venom wasn't acid — it was swirling words that were too enticing not to believe.

Words of his failure. Of how he would never be good enough to be a Crystal Gem. Of how everything he did, was for nothing. Of how his one mistake that was supposed to save everyone caused them all to be in danger. Oh how he hurt everyone and couldn't fix it.

Of how he only existed because his mom didn't want to be Pink Diamond.

Everytime those thoughts latched onto him like barbed wire around his brain, something built inside him. A grief that was beyond words. It filled his head until that was all that existed; until it was the only truth he knew.

He wasn't a Crystal Gem. He wasn't the answer to saving Earth. He wasn't Pink Diamond. He wasn't Rose Quartz. He was a fraud.

He was a monster.

He was suddenly aware of how his heart thudded loudly and how his emotions swelled to the point where he felt like his body was about to burst. And to those that saw Steven, saw that his body was indeed swelling, first at his head, then his back.

"What's happening?" White asked, her tone slightly frantic.

He felt her try and quell his emotions, to get him back under control. And he imagined her eyes, so big they filled his entire vision, and filled with nothing but her own desire.

The surge of emotions stopped cold and a chilling calm settled into his core as he thought about White and everything she's done to him, to the Earth, to his mom, and to every other gem in the universe. To Pink Pearl, who was shattered because of her and to Tennis, who was just following orders when she was caught in the crossfire.

"I may be a monster," Steven whispered to himself. His fingers slowly curled into fists and his entire body tensed. The swelling stopped. The pink glow faded from his body and retreated back into his gem. The walls, which were so dangerously close to poofing Amethyst, stopped moving and started slowly dissipating at the edges.

Garnet pushed against the barriers pinning her and managed to move them. Pearl managed to move her arms as the weight of the panel on her started getting lighter.

Steven lifted his eyes and stared at something that should have been impossible for him to see: White Diamond herself, in a gray room, standing in his mind. She stood over him in a defensive pose, her right arm raised to shield herself and eyes wide with shock.

"But I'm still better than you."

… … … … … … … … … … … … … …

**AN: I got this chapter out in record time woo! Four more chapters left! **


	13. Chapter 13: A Diamond Emerges

"Fight her, Steven!"

"Yeah, you got this, dude!"

"You're stronger than she is!"

The gems didn't even know if the preteen heard them. Steven was hunched over on his knees, hands entangled in his curls as tears streamed down his face from his unseeing eyes. His pink face. His pink hands. His pink pupils.

They had never seen him like this. He was hunched over with complete agony strewn across his face; he would clench his eyes closed and let out whimpers of pain before opening them again and taking a large breath. His fingers would dig further into his hair and the cracks in the floor would slowly stretch toward the gems. Then, it would start over again.

Garnet slowly stepped forward, followed by the other two, and pulled him into her arms. She gently untangled his fingers from his hair and winced when his nails dug into her hands instead. But she didn't let go.

"Can we do anything to help?" Pearl asked. She knelt in front of Steven and gently brushed his curls back out of his face. The boy still didn't react.

Garnet shook her head.

They all lowered their heads and watched the gem pulse with weak white light. They held their breath as the pink aura encasing Steven's skin seemed to slowly seep into the edges of the stone, only to be pushed back by a flash of white light.

"Kick her butt, Steven," Amethyst growled, her hands in fists as she stood protectively over them as the boy fought for his life.

While they saw the outward turmoil, none of them saw what Steven did — they didn't see the lifeless walls that stretched beyond Steven's line of sight or see their own reflection in the tiled floor beneath him. They didn't see White Diamond, towering over him with a menacing look in her eyes as she peered down at him.

He was nothing to her, nothing but a pink ant. But still, she didn't approach him. She didn't lift her foot to squash him. She just stared.

"So, what now, Starlight? Are you going to fight me too?"

Steven clenched his hands, hoping to steady them, as he looked White Diamond right in the eye.

"No," he said, his voice giving away how small he felt. "White, this isn't right."

White shook her head and smiled down at Steven as if he were a toddler who just brought her a stuffed toy.

"I agree, Starlight, you abandoning us, and hiding from me isn't right."

"That's not what I mean!" Steven yelled out, frustrated. "I'm not my mom!"

White pointed to the floor beneath Steven and tutted. "Look again, Steven."

Steven looked at her for a moment longer before he let his eyes fall to the ground. He breathed in sharply and took a step back, but his reflection followed him. It wasn't him; it was Pink. But she wasn't Pink. Her skin was grayed out, her large tuft of curls, which were so like Steven's, where colorless and her eyes were void of thought. And painted on her face was the most emotionless smile Steven had ever seen.

No. He had seen it somewhere else. On Pink Pearl, before White released her from her control.

"Now do you understand?" White mused. Her fingers tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Even after all of this insisting, you're still wrong."

"No," Steven whispered. He took another step back and Pink did too. But her face didn't show the horror he felt on his.

_Pink didn't feel anything. _

Is that what White meant? Had he been wrong?

He glanced down to his hand, which was still covered in a pink aura. Pink might not feel it...no, his gem may not feel, but he did. And he hated it. He hated feeling his powers bubbling under his skin, unhindered by the feeling of right and wrong. Hated that, despite knowing he wasn't Pink, he still felt like a Diamond.

And he hated that he wanted to use them on White. To make her feel exactly what she put him through. To hurt her. To hold her against her will and remove _her _gem. To take away _her _control and force her to see all of the suffering she put Pink through. All of the pain she put _him _through.

But what about him? He played a role in all of this. He tried and failed and messed up so many times, but he always managed to make things right again. Was that just his life? Messing up and fighting to make things right? Nearly dying time and time again until his mother's crimes were all resolved? How could he, a kid, live like this, when a Diamond couldn't? How much could he take before he cracked?

He already shattered someone and even though he wasn't in control, he still felt like his heart had been cleaved in two like Pink Pearl's gem. He could never fix her. And Tennis. The back of his hand ached just thinking about it. He _had _been in control then. It was him destroying the base, but he never meant to hurt her.

And now he stood in the presence of the person who hurt him the most. Of the very reason why he existed and why gemkind was so cruel to organic life and its own people. If it wasn't for White, maybe Pink would have been happier. Maybe she wouldn't have taken over Earth. Maybe, just maybe, none of this would have happened if White didn't exist.

Maybe _he _could stop anything more from happening.

The worst part of all of this was that it spiraled into itself. It grew, like the swirling clouds of a hurricane as it hit warmer water and drowned his fear and sense of self. The yearning to hear her beg him to stop, to express her terror, and to be silenced by him overpowering her. To feel the cruel satisfaction that would come with seeing her gem splinter into pieces.

After everything he's done, after everything's he's been through, doesn't he deserve to feel that way? Doesn't White deserve hurt?

Unseen to Steven, his reflection shifted slightly to a ghost of what he could become if he continued to feel this way. Pink's face warped and sharpened; her mouth turning jagged as fangs parted her lips; the curls in her hair hardened into iridescent horns, and patches of scale-like deep pink skin slowly started appearing around her gem.

Steven, who was still staring at his hand, took a deep breath and willed his hand to relax. He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to quell the anger that raged within him.

No matter how much he wanted it, he knew that wasn't the answer. Fighting her? Hurting her? Starting another war? If he did that, he would be no better than his mom. He would be no better than White. And if there's one thing he learned from White, it's that a Diamond is not concerned with the wellbeing of a lesser gem.

So he needed to be better than a Diamond. He needed to be the person he always was — the one who helped people and brought out the best in them. Not the one who tore them down.

He needed to be Steven Universe.

The pink glow slowly faded from his skin; it drained from him and fell through the floor to color in his reflection like paint spilled from a can.

He took a deep breath and looked toward White again. She wasn't standing anymore. In fact, she looked like she had been knocked over by her own terror. She was sitting, her legs on the ground in front of her, and most of her weight on her right arm. Her left arm was raised to shield herself. But from what?

Steven looked at his hands, which were now his normal skin tone and down to his reflection. His own face looked back at him. Though pink, it was his.

"What are you?!" White breathed, her voice shaky.

"I am Steven Universe," Steven told her. "And you need to listen to me."

White shook her head. "No, you're something different. You're not Steven. You're not even Pink anymore!"

Steven didn't understand, but he didn't have a chance to. It was now or never for him.

"White, that's the point of Earth," he pressed on, his voice no longer shaky and uncertain. "Earth is a place people go to be themselves. They're free to grow and change and live how they want to. Gems are free to be happy.

"That's why Pink left," Steven dared to add.

White said nothing.

"She was unhappy on Homeworld. She didn't like hurting other people. And she didn't like being hurt by you, Blue, and Yellow. How many times did you yell at her? How many times did you make her cry?"

White still said nothing. But Steven knew from the furrowing of her brow that she was listening.

"She would rather fight for her freedom than stay where she was miserable. That's why she faked her shattering. That's why she made me!"

"But we attacked the planet," White said out of nowhere. "You shouldn't have survived!"

Steven nodded once. "Mom shielded herself, Pearl, and Garnet. But the other gems weren't so lucky. They were corrupted."

At that word, White's brow lowered. Steven remembered her first learning of corruption through his own memories. She cast it aside as something they'd have to fix in the future and didn't think much of the monsters.

"So that's it then," White slowly said. She lowered her arm and looked at Steven; the fear in her eyes was slowly replaced by her usually cool glare. "That's why you're not Pink."

Steven blinked once.

"That's why your reflection…," it was clear White wasn't talking to him anymore. "You're corrupted."

"No!" Steven said. He shook his head rapidly and put his arms up in a gesture of peace. "No, I'm not. Mom's shield worked."

White shook her head, clearly not listening anymore. "Three diamond blasts against one shield. How could I have missed it? That's why you've lost yourself, Pink. That's why you're tied to this organic."

"Mom lived as Rose Quartz for thousands of hers," Steven pointed out. "How could she be corrupted?"

White Diamond scoffed, frustrated. She didn't admit that Steven was right, but she also didn't admit that he was wrong.

"Listen, White, I know you want Pink back, but she's gone," Steven said. He took a step forward and White straightened up. He stopped at the look of warning in her eye. "She found a family here and made her choice."

"To abandon us," White hissed.

"And Pearl, Garnet, Amethyst, my dad, and all the corrupted gems," Steven pointed out. "I never even got to know her, and she helped make me."

White was quiet for a moment as she scanned Steven's figure and looked once more at his reflection.

"So, this is what you've become," she said after a moment.

Steven nodded but didn't dare to interrupt her. The venom that dripped from her voice was strong enough for him to want to take a step back, but he stood his ground.

"I always knew you were different, but I never wanted to admit you were defective," White continued, her voice oily as she struggled to maintain what composure she had left. "I never thought you'd be a treat to our way of life."

"I'm trying to help the gems you hurt," Steven countered.

"By hurting the gems you left behind!" White countered. She pushed herself to her feet and looked angrily down at the boy. He was nothing more than an ant to her, yet she couldn't bring herself to lift her foot to shatter him. He was all she had left of Pink because she was too stupid to think about anything beyond herself.

She couldn't help her here. She couldn't do it alone.

"You've lost yourself, Pink," White said, her voice once again silk as her new plan took shape. "But I haven't given up on you yet."

Steven looked at the smile growing on her face as the world around him seemed to darken.

"No!" he cried out. He reached out to her, but she seemed to be getting further and further away. The edge of his vision crept in more and more, covering her brilliant white glow. "What's going on? White?!"

"See you soon, Starlight."

Darkness smothered him.

Steven bolted up, his throat tight as he gasped out. Every inch of his body screamed in pain and his head felt like White _had _stepped on him.

"Steven!"

He managed to pry open his watering eyes at Pearl's exclamation. The sudden light from the sun blasted him and he quickly turned away and buried his face into something he couldn't identify. His hands, which had dug into Garnet's hand, wrapped around his stomach as it lurched and churned.

"Shh," came Garnet's soothing voice. She ran a hand through his hand. "It's okay now."

Steven certainly didn't feel okay. And White...she…

At this thought, he bolted up again and frantically grabbed at his shirt. His hands were too shaky and too heavy to move right. He could barely tug at the hem of his shirt before it slipped through his fingers. Garnet grabbed his wrist gently and helped him lift it. Together, they took a breath and looked down.

Pink.

Circular.

Just as it should be.

Amethyst knelt down behind him and Steven felt her put her hand on his shoulder.

"You did it, man. She's gone," she told him, her voice filled with pride. "I wish I could see the look on her face."

But Steven shook his head, which caused pain to shoot behind his eyes. He clenched his eyes closed and groaned out in pain.

"White," Steven managed to force out through gritted teeth.

"She's gone Steven," Garnet said, gently.

"No," Steven pulled himself away from Garnet. "She's planning s-something." He looked to Pearl and Amethyst for help, but they just exchanged worried glances. He tried to stand, but his legs gave out from under him. Garnet, who never quite let go of him, caught him immediately.

"You should rest," Pearl suggested, kindly. She knew better than to ask him if he was okay. Everything about him looked sick and exhausted.

"Yeah man," Amethyst pitched in. She moved so she was in Steven's line of sight and looked him right in the eyes. He barely could make out her face through his tears and rapidly blurring vision. "Leave some butt-kicking for us, okay?"

"B-but," Steven gasped out, barely aware that his voice wasn't as strong as before.

"When she comes, we'll be ready," Garnet said. "Pearl and Peridot have been working on something too."

"Sh-she th-thinks…," but he couldn't make the rest. He couldn't warn them how White thought Pink was corrupted, or how she viewed them as threats to gemkind. He couldn't even keep his own thoughts straight or keep his head from falling against Garnet's chest or his eyes open.

"It's okay," Pearl whispered. He felt her cool hand on his cheek as she brushed away stray tears. "Just rest."

It took no time at all for Steven to follow her advice. Within a minute, he had slumped against Garnet's chest and relaxed in what the gems hoped would be a restful sleep.

"Are we actually ready if the Diamonds come?" Amethyst whispered the fear she didn't want Steven to see now fully visible.

Pearl shook her head. "Peridot and I worked on a barrier using Rose's light cannons. We managed to turn the cannons into a barrier we each can wear. It should work to block White's power. I'm not sure about Blue or Yellow, though."

"So what is the plan?" Amethyst asked.

"Get Peridot and Connie here," Garnet answered. "And protect Steven at all costs."

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … ...

**AN: I told you I would be better at getting these chapters out! I wrote this one the day after I released chapter 12.**

**A few people were expecting Kaiju Steven in this chapter, and I thought about adding it in (I even made a separate outline for it), but it didn't make sense to me. Yes, Steven's going through a lot of shit, but there's a solvable problem in front of him. Him hulking out didn't seem like something Steven would do in this circumstance.**

**Instead, he would force down his own emotions and focus on the problem that needed to be solved, like he always did. He would put White's problem above his own. White not understanding was enough to give him purpose, to keep him human.**

**Anyway, I hope you're not disappointed with that decision! I didn't want to force something that just didn't feel right. Next chapter: Homeworld's Arrival. **


	14. Chapter 14: Homeworld's Arrival

"What do you mean the plan's changed?" Yellow asked, her voice clearly agitated but trying to cover it as she paced in White's chambers.

"White, none of this makes sense," Blue pleaded with her. "Pink? Corrupted?"

"The human part of her said it himself," White snapped down at her. "Pink shielded herself, her pearl, and the fusion. Something must have gone wrong."

Yellow and Blue glanced at one another, but said nothing. They didn't have a choice but to stay silent or to agree with White. Not when she was like this.

"I saw her change," White told them, her voice quieter. "I saw her morph into a monster. We need to fix her."

"And you couldn't lead the hybrid back here? Or fix her when you were in control?" Yellow dared to ask. She immediately stopped moving and cowered under the glare that White sent her way. "I'm sorry," she quickly stuttered out. "I should have assumed you tried."

White sighed after a moment and lifted her gaze to stare at the ceiling. "I tried," she admitted. "The little brat got the upper hand when I saw what she had become."

White tried everything she could to suppress the swell of fear as the image of whatever Pink was flashed in her head. It wasn't humanoid; it wasn't a Diamond; it was hardly even a gem. The patches of scale-like skin, the shift in her features from soft to angular and harsh, and the sudden appearance of an aura that White could only describe as pure hatred and a desire to harm her.

But what startled her the most is that Steven, Pink's human parasite, didn't react to it at all. She wasn't even sure he noticed the shift. It would make sense that he didn't see it. He didn't see Pink was still with him, after all. But it still didn't feel right. Throughout everything, White felt more of the human than she ever did of Pink. Sure, it was her aura, her power, and her gem that pulsed life through the boy's veins, but White never once felt a flash of recognition.

She only felt fear — the boy's fear of her.

But if Pink was corrupted, that would make sense. Her mind would be shattered, even if her gem was still flawless. She would be as one-minded as Yellow's gem fusion experiments, but with the destructive force of the Cluster. It didn't mean the boy was right; it didn't mean Pink was gone.

And the thought of bringing such a thing back to Homeworld? No, White couldn't risk it. It was better to keep Pink on Earth for now. Better to come to her.

"Would corruption interfere with your power?" Yellow asked quietly.

White nodded once, her eyes still fixed on the ceiling. "It would seem that corruption makes gems forget who they are. It turns them into monsters without coherent thought."

"And you're certain we can fix her?" Blue asked, her voice low with worry.

White nodded again, but said nothing. It was true that a Diamond's ability to heal was unparalleled, but this type of healing had never been tested before.

"But why go to Earth?" Yellow asked, her bravado barely back. "Why not send an army to collect her?"

White looked back down at them and smiled her signature emotionless smile. She couldn't let them know the truth; she needed them to approach Pink with confidence, not as a weaponized monster. "To show the rebellion that Pink isn't gone; they haven't won."

Yellow nodded once, a militant gleam in her eye at the plan, but Blue turned her head away.

"Good, good," White said at their lack of response. "Yellow, call your warships. Blue, summon your injectors. It's time we reclaimed the Earth."

With that, both Yellow and Blue were encased in a white bubble and sent from the chamber. They landed together, outside. Yellow turned to walk away, but Blue's hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Yellow," she urged quietly. "What if this doesn't work? What if Pink really is gone?"

Yellow sighed and carefully took Blue's hand in her own. "We have to try," she told her softly. "If there is any hope for getting Pink back, we have to try it."

Blue shook her head defiantly. "After everything we've done to her, do you believe that she'd let it end here?"

Yellow glanced nervously at White's Head, which loomed over them.

"You saw it too, Yellow," Blue urged. "She was scared of us! I know you won't admit it, but this doesn't feel right."

"What would you have me do, Blue?" Yellow snapped. She dropped Blue's hand and threw her arm away from her in an act of power. "Defy White? Give up on Pink? Believe she gave up everything to become half-human?"

Blue nodded. "Doesn't that sound like our Pink?"

Yellow stopped dad in her tracks. The frustration drained from her face and was replaced with realization.

"Pink left," Blue said gently. "She didn't want her status. She loved organic life. As much as I want her back, I don't think it's right to do this. I don't think she's truly there. You saw her reform, just as I did. She chose to be human."

The air around the two monarchs was so intense that a lesser gem would have been crushed. But Yellow closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she nodded once.

"Alright," Yellow conceded. "What do we do?"

Blue smiled for the first time in over six thousand years. "We follow White's plan. We go to Earth. And, when we're all together, we'll fix this."

**… … … … … … … … … … … …**

"How long do we have?" Pearl whispered after Garnet descended the steps. Steven was resting peacefully in his bed and the gems intended that to last for as long as possible.

Garnet pursed her lips. "10 hours," she said. "We'll be severely outnumbered."

"That's nothing new," Amethyst said with a shrug, but her nervous glance to the door gave away her true emotion. "So, what's the plan?"

Garnet pushed her visor back up her nose and looked at the two in front of her with a stony expression. "Amethyst, go into town and warn the humans of a gem invasion. Pearl, tell Connie and have Peridot bring everything here. We're going to need them."

"Right," Pearl said with a nod. "What about you?"

Garnet glanced behind her at the Temple door. "We're going to need all the help we can get."

Without another word, Garnet turned and strode through to her room. Her eyes scanned the ceiling, which was cluttered with bubbled gems, until she saw it. A rainbow gem unlike all the others, encased in a pink bubble.

Garnet took a deep breath and jumped up. She grabbed the bubble in her hands and popped it before landing. Bismuth took no time to reform.

She stood up and turned to Garnet, her eyes wide and confused. She pushed her rainbow dreadlocks from her face and gave the fusion a timid smile.

"Hey," she chanced a greeting, but Garnet didn't even crack a smile. "I guess Steven told you what I did, huh?"

If Garnet was fazed by the casual mention of how Bismuth tried to fight Steven after showing him her weapon that would shatter gems, she didn't show it.

"So, uhh," Bismuth started. She rubbed the back of her head, sheepishly, wishing she was back in a bubble instead of subject to Garnet's patronizing gaze.

"We need your help," Garnet said. "Homeworld is coming."

"What?!" Bismuth straightened and shook her head in shock. "Homeworld?"

Garnet nodded once.

"Tell me everything."

So Garnet told her how Rose was Pink Diamond. How she faked her own death to try and save the Earth. How the Diamonds found out. How Steven was under White Diamond's control for days. How Earth was now a primary target once again.

Bismuth took a breath to steady herself after she took everything in. She wanted nothing more than to scream and let out the shock in her system, but this wasn't the time.

"It all makes sense," she breathed out in an attempt to stay calm. "No wonder Rose poofed me after I showed her the Breaking Point. I was going to shatter _her _with it."

Garnet nodded. "And now the Diamonds know Rose's secret. They want Pink back."

"But she's gone, isn't she?" Bismuth questioned. Steven didn't know anything that Rose did to her. He had no clue who Bismuth was, or who his own mom was. If Pink was truly still alive, why would she hide from her own son?

"White Diamond is convinced that Pink is alive," Garnet told her, flatly. "She'll stop at nothing to prove it."

Bismuth shook her head a few times, her eyes falling to the ground in thought. "And you said she used her power on Steven? What if she's right, Garnet? White might have been able to sense something that we can't."

Garnet pursed her lips and clenched her fists. "I've looked as far as I could into Steven's future. Pink Diamond isn't in any of them." She failed to mention that Steven's future was a garbled mess to her and the further she looked, the more distorted it seemed. She didn't want to know what that meant for her cutiepie, but when it came, she would be ready.

Bismuth put up her hands in a gesture of peace. "Okay, I just had to ask," she said gently. "Don't worry, we'll keep Steven safe. So, when's the fight?"

Garnet gestured for her to follow her and the pair left the temple together. It took no time for Pearl to leap into Bismuth's arms and for Amethyst to smile at her.

"Bismuth!" Pearl whispered in excitement.

"Glad to have you back," Amethyst said, quietly.

"It's like a real Crystal Gem reunion," Bismuth laughed, but she was shushed by everyone. They pointed up to Steven's bed and Bismuth put two and two together.

"When did White leave?" she asked, her voice as quiet as she could make it.

"Not long ago," Pearl said, her voice full of worry. "We don't know what he'll be like when he wakes up."

Bismuth put her hand on Pearl's shoulder and offered her an encouraging smile. "Come on," she said with confidence. "It's Steven. We've never met anyone like him. He'll get through this. He's strong."

Pearl nodded once and wiped tears from her eyes. "Right. Bismuth, you and Garnet should go outside and come up with a battle plan. I need to get Peridot and Amethyst needs to warn the humans."

"A new recruit?" Bismuth asked as she noticed the new gem name in the mix. "Great. We'll need all the help we can get. Alright gems, let's move."

**… … **… … … … … … … … … … ...

Steven's entire body ached. He felt like he had run a marathon and then spent the entire night competing in Beach City's Underground Wrestling Tournament. Even his fingers hurt — he never thought a pinky finger could feel as exhausted and tense as this, but here he was.

But despite everything, there was something new: the weight that held him down was gone. His shoulders weren't held down by shackles; his heart wasn't being squeezed by a cold hand; his wrists weren't burning as unseen chains dug into his skin — everything was gone. He wiggled his toes and his heart leapt when they responded easily.

Most importantly, he didn't feel her. There wasn't a storm of emotions in the farthest corner of his mind or a self-indulgent voice whispering orders into his ear.

He opened his eyes and found he was in his bed. He heard nothing below him, but heard commotion down on the beach. Steven slowly turned his head to confirm that he was alone before he carefully lifted the edge of his shirt.

He really was free.

Relief hit him like a tidal wave. He wanted to jump for joy, to float up into the sky to enjoy the warmth of the sun, and to run and hug every person in Beach City. But as he peered out his window and glanced what looked like a pink cannon lined up on the shore, his mood fell.

The Diamonds really were coming for him.

He pushed himself up so he was sitting on the edge of his bed and ignored how the wood under his feet felt like pin pricks. He glanced around the empty home and allowed his shoulders to drop and his face to fall as he thought about everything that happened.

What would the gems think of him?

He looked to the cracks in the floor and to the corner where Amethyst had been fighting for her life.

Would they forgive him? Would they be scared of him?

His hands pulled at the knees of his pants as he fought back the burning sensation in his eyes.

It doesn't matter now, he told himself. What matters is protecting them and fixing his mistakes. The Diamonds were coming to Earth because of him. He had to think of a way to stop them before anyone else got hurt.

He took a breath and pushed himself to his feet. He walked carefully down the stairs and spied a note on the counter.

_Steven,_

_We're preparing on the beach. Eat something and get cleaned up. Come see us after._

_Love,_

_Pearl_

At the thought of food, Steven's stomach twisted into a painful knot. His eyes glanced nervously to the windows and up to the sky, which was growing darker as the sun got closer to the horizon. He had been out for a long time, he realized, as the sun had just barely started to rise when White left.

Steven sighed and headed to the bathroom to get himself cleaned up. He would be lying to himself if he said he didn't need it. Hygiene wasn't exactly White's priority. That, and a hot shower sounded wonderful.

He found a clean set of clothes resting on the sink for him and he smiled softly to himself at the gesture. Stevn rushed through the shower, despite the hot water feeling heavenly on his back, and continued through his normal morning routine at a furious pace. He didn't know how much time he had and he wasn't about to waste it.

When he stepped back into the living room, he was surprised to see Peridot sitting on the couch. She glanced at him and smiled.

"Steven!" She jumped up and engulfed him in a giant hug. "I was so worried! I heard what White did to you, that clod!"

"I'm okay, Peridot," Steven told her. It wasn't a total lie — he felt okay, despite the dull tension and pain, and near crippling fear of the Diamonds.

She pulled back and nodded at him, though she didn't seem fully convinced. "Pearl wanted me to check on you," the green gem told him. "I just got back from the Moon Base to confirm the Diamond's plan and set up an alert system. When they get within range of the Moon, we'll know."

Steven nodded once, unable to find the right words that didn't show how scared he really was. He didn't need Peridot to know that upon hearing White's name, or any mention of the Diamonds, made his legs turn to concrete and feet go numb. He was shocked she didn't hear the pounding of his heart, too.

"Don't worry," Peridot said, her voice filled with false confidence. "We're ready for them. We won't let them hurt you."

"What about you?" Steven countered before he could stop himself.

Peridot shrugged, but her eyes flitted nervously to the ceiling. "We have a plan," she said, but she didn't sound so sure. "Come on, the others will help fill you in."

Steven hesitated and Peridot, who had turned and taken two steps before she noticed, looked over her shoulder. Steven's face betrayed him.

"They know it wasn't your fault," Peridot told him, softly. She turned back to face him and smiled gently. "Come on, they'll tell you themselves."

She extended her hand and Steven took a deep breath before he stepped forward. He lifted his own arm, hating how it shook, and placed his hand in Peridot's. Her smile grew and she led him outside into the sunset.

They paused on the balcony to let their eyes adjust to the light. Steven peered over the wooden railing and noticed Connie talking to Pearl, their faces determined. Lion sat behind Connie, his eyes fixed on the sky. Garnet worked with Bismuth to set up the last of his mother's laser light cannons. Amethyst was struggling to put on what looked like a crude iron chest plate with a glowing rose in the center.

"Pearl and I took apart one of the cannons and managed to rig a deflector out of it," Peridot explained. "White's power should bounce right off it, in theory."

Steven nodded once.

"Garnet told us that White won't try to control you again," Peridot said. "You must have really scared her." Though her voice was filled with glee, Steven couldn't help but drop his gaze. He remembered how White cowered, but he didn't know why. He wanted to hurt her, he wanted to turn into the monster that he felt like he was, but he didn't. So why did White seem so scared?

"Steven!"

Steven jumped at Connie's voice. She ran up the stairs, her face bright, and hugged him tightly. "I'm so glad you're okay!" she pulled away, but still kept her hands on his arms. "I'm so sorry. I _knew _something was wrong with you, but I didn't know what. I should have done something."

Steven shook his head and managed to smile at her. "It's okay," he said, trying to force some reassurance into his voice. "You couldn't have known."

"But I should have tried harder to figure it out," Connie insisted, her eyes shining with tears.

"And I shouldn't have given myself up to Homeworld," Steven pointed out. "So we're even."

Connie let out a watery chuckle before she hugged him again. She pulled away and led him down the stairs toward the other gems. They all abandoned their tasks and surrounded him in a friendly way, though Steven couldn't help but feel uneasy.

And then Amethyst pulled him into a bear hug, followed by Pearl and Garnet. Bismuth remained standing, but she was smiling kindly.

"You okay?" She asked him, when she noticed Steven looking nervously at her from over Amethyst's shoulder.

He nodded once. "You?"

Bismuth shrugged. "It's not every day you find out your leader was actually a Diamond, but that doesn't mean I'm not ready to uppercut an upper-crust," she said with a good-natured wink.

A real smile formed on Steven's face at her response and he buried his face into Amethyst's shoulder in relief.

After another moment, the gems pulled away.

"How are you feeling?" Pearl asked. She leaned forward and brushed Steven's still-damp hair from his eyes and was pleased to see that the boy had some color back in his face. He still had dark circles under his eyes, but they were dramatically less than before, and his eyes had some of his usual sparkle back.

"I'm okay," he said for what felt like the hundredth time today. "Look, guys, I'm -,"

"Save it," Amethyst saved. "It wasn't your fault, man."

"That's right," Garnet said with a nod. "We know it wasn't you. And we couldn't be prouder of you for fighting her off."

"But -"

"No buts," Garnet interjected, her voice stern but kind. "Steven, it wasn't your fault."

It was, though. He started all of this. He forced himself to nod once, but he couldn't meet Garnet's eyes. They claimed that it was okay, and maybe it was, but he couldn't let them get hurt for his mistake or for who he really was. They may be ready to risk everything to protect him, but he wasn't ready to let them.

"Steven, here's the plan," he vaguely heard Pearl say. The only thing he caught was that he'd be hidden with Connie and Lion so he could make a quick getaway if he needed.

After everything he did to them, they were still there for him. Willing to fight for him and protect him, even if that meant getting shattered. They were too good for that.

He glanced to the sky and let some fear show on his face. Out of the corner of his eye, Garnet pushed up her visor. He needed to convince her and fool her future vision that he wasn't going to do anything — that he was too scared to repeat what just happened to do anything rash or stupid. She couldn't know. He didn't want her to stop him from trying to save them.

Even if that meant giving White what she wanted. Because no matter how much he fought it, no matter how much he wanted it to be a lie, he couldn't deny it. Homeworld wasn't coming. It had already been here. And it still was, in a way, in him.

He, Steven Universe, was a Diamond. And like his mother before him, he needed to sacrifice everything to protect his family. But this time, he needed to do it right.

And how would he do that? He thought back to his interactions with Yellow. How she started off so gleeful to kill him, and then how her face shifted when she realized just how scared Steven was of her. One second, it was like she was looking at a child throwing a tantrum — a look that felt oddly familiar to Steven — and the next, it was like she didn't recognize him at all.

That was a good start.

And Blue. She seemed to only want what was best for Pink, though she seemed terrified of White and didn't know what _was _best for her. If Steven could convince her that Pink chose to be on Earth and chose to become part of him, and appeal to her emotions, then he might have a chance.

All it took was talking. They were willing to talk in the past. They wouldn't try and shatter him, which was a small comfort, but he needed to speak without the Crystal Gems interrupting him.

He glanced to Pearl, who was still talking and going over their battle plan. She had a steely look in her eyes as she talked about how important it was for him to remain hidden from the Diamonds. That's when it hit him.

He needed to change all of their minds. The Diamonds. The Crystal Gems. They all needed to see that he wasn't what they thought. That he still had something worthwhile to contribute here.

In the Diamonds' case, it meant a new way of life. It meant allowing gems to be what they wanted without fear of benign shattered or controlled. For the Crystal Gems, it meant being okay with letting Steven not be a kid; letting him help in the way only he could.

"Do you understand?" Pearl asked and Steven nodded. He didn't need to hear the plan to know what she wanted him to agree to. He dropped his gaze and took a breath to try and steady his nerves. He would need to convince Connie and Lion first, which wouldn't be easy. But he had to try. He couldn't let his family get hurt. He couldn't let Earth fall back into Homeworld's hands.

He stood up and Connie took his hand reassuringly. She led him over to Lion and the pair climbed on the pink feline's back. The big cat glanced back at the sky before he huffed and turned away from the ocean. He didn't roar to warp them away, but he did start running away at a leisurely pace.

"You're not going to sit back and let them fight, are you?" Connie asked after a few minutes of silence, her voice hardened with concern and resolve.

Steven didn't want to look back at her, so he hung his head and mulled over his answer.

"Steven, I know you. I know you're planning something," she insisted, her arms tightening slightly around his waist.

"I can't let them risk their lives for me," Steven finally admitted, his voice cracking with emotion.

He felt Connie nod behind him and Lion slowed to walk. They were just outside of the city, heading for Brooding Hill.

"Then what are we going to do?"

Steven whirled around in shock. He stared at her with wide eyes and took in her defiant face and how his mother's old sword reflected the last night of the dying sun.

"What, did you think I'd stop you?"

Steven nodded, almost numb with relief.

Connie smiled at him lightly. "Steven," she said warmly. "They're my family too. I'd rather protect them than try and fight you."

"Connie, I don't want you to get hurt," Steven told her. She was a great fighter, that was true, but against the Diamonds? Could anyone actually fight them?

"I won't," Connie reassured him. "Not if we can stop this before a fight breaks out. We just need a plan."

Steven nodded and turned back to watch the darkening horizon. "I need to get close to the Diamonds," he said after a minute. "They won't hurt me. Maybe I can talk to them."

"Okay," Connie nodded. "What are you going to tell them?"

Steven shook his head. "Yellow and Blue will listen, but it's White that I'm worried about."

"Do you think she'll try to...you know?"

Steven shook his head. "I think she's scared," he told her. He recounted how White acted in their fight, but left out how much he wanted to hurt White. At the end of it, Connie looked just as confused as he was.

"And you didn't say or see anything that would set her off?"

Steven shook his head. Sure, he wanted revenge on White, but she shouldn't have been so caught off guard by those feelings. She was a Diamond — she took over planets, killed gems and organics alike, and ran an empire. Surely feeling anger and hostility from another being was nothing new to her, even if it was from Pink.

"Are you sure you can do this?" Connie asked worriedly.

Again, Steven didn't have an answer. "I have to try," was all he could say.

Connie nodded and didn't say anything more. Lion stopped at the top of Brooding Hill and the two slid off his back. They sat on the cliff and together, watched the night sky, basking in the calm before the storm.


	15. Chapter 15: The Power of Pink

The stars glittered peacefully above them, but every time one shot across the sky, the two stargazers leapt out of their skins. Connie's hand would immediately go to the hilt of her sword and tighten on Lion's mane, while Steven would tense up and curl his fingers into fists. Once or twice, the teen jumped to his feet and his shield appeared on his arm.

Despite all this, Lion laid peacefully beside them, unbothered by any of the normal celestial movements. This was their only source of comfort as they waited for the Diamonds to bring another war to Earth.

Light began to creep up the hill behind them, followed by the low rumble of an engine.

Connie shouted out, drew her sword and stood protectively in front of Steven, blinded by the growing light. Steven took a step back and bumped into Lion before he realized what was going on.

"Dad?"

"Sorry!" Greg's voice called. He shut off the van and headlights turned off. It took a second for their eyes to adjust, but Connie lowered her sword when she was able to make out Greg stepping out of his van. "I didn't mean to scare you both."

Steven looked at his dad over Connie's shoulder and his throat tightened. How much did he know? How much did the gems tell him? After all, the last time they spoke was when Steven first got back to Earth. White Diamond kept him far from his dad — from any human, actually, now that Steven thought about it.

Every shallow breath he took as he stared at his dad's face seemed to compress his vision more and more. It wasn't long before all that existed to Steven was his dad's pale face and the onslaught of fervent questions and anxiety.

"Hey bud," Greg said gently as he walked toward his rigid son. "The gems told me everything. Are you okay?"

Steven shrugged once — that was all he could manage to do, besides play with the hem of his shirt. Connie glanced at him and stepped aside to let his dad approach. Greg smiled warmly to her before he knelt down in front of Steven and took in his tired face and nervous fidgeting.

"What, you're not going to greet your dear old dad?"

Steven blinked once to clear his rapidly blurring vision. All it took was his dad's warm smile for him to launch himself into Greg's arms.

"It's good to see you too, kiddo," Greg whispered as he held his son tightly. "I don't fully understand what happened, but you're okay, right?"

"Yeah," Steven lied as he pulled away and wiped away the tears that threatened to spill. He couldn't afford a breakdown right now. He needed to be strong for everyone. He needed to fix the mess he made. "Shouldn't you be evacuating with the others?"

Greg shrugged. "I couldn't leave without seeing you. I don't suppose there's any way I can convince you both to come with me?"

Connie and Steven glanced at each other, guilt rising in their chests upon hearing Greg's hopeful voice.

"Yeah, I guess not," Greg said after a moment of silence. "Just, whatever you're planning, be safe. "

Steven opened his mouth to spout some lie about his involvement, but Greg just smiled at him and shook his head.

"Steven, I know you," he said gently. "I know you're not going to sit back and let the gems fight for you. Remember when Jasper came to Earth? You begged me to let you fight. And, well," Greg sighed and glanced once to the sky before he looked back to his son. "I know better than to try and stop you. Just promise me that you'll be safe."

Steven could only nod at the pleading look in his father's eyes.

"Do you guys mind if I stay for awhile?" Greg asked the pair after a moment of silence. "Might help ease your nerves."

Connie smiled and nodded. "Of course not," she said. "Right Steven?"

Steven managed to smile at his dad and nodded. "Please," he said. Greg sat beside the two and Lion settled behind them. They settled into a comfortable silence; Connie leaned back against Lion, much less jumpy now with an adult here, and Steven rested against his dad, who put his arm over his shoulder.

"You know," Greg said after a few minutes. "I'm really proud of you both. I would never have the guts to do what you two are doing. And I can't even begin to imagine what Homeworld did to you, Steven, but you're still fighting. You're the strongest person I know. I'm proud to call you my son."

Steven burrowed his face into his dad's chest at these words to hide his blush and teary eyes.

"Thanks, dad," he whispered. Though he didn't doubt Greg's words, the warmth he felt from them quickly faded. His dad didn't know everything; he wasn't even trying to stop him from getting involved in this again. Sure, even Steven knew that if Greg tried to stop him, Steven would just find a way to help the gems anyway. But did that make it right? Was it right for his dad to be proud of him for causing another Diamond invasion?

Steven pulled away and lowered his eyes. His fingers slid through the grass on his left side and the cool blades that were slightly damp from the ocean air reminded him of everything that was at stake.

No, it didn't feel right.

He carefully ran his thumb up one of the longer pieces of grass and let out a low breath. Even though guilt gnawed at him, he knew he wasn't fully to blame. He shouldn't have given himself up to Homeworld, but all of this wasn't started by him. His mother fought to protect this world and he was going to do the same, but he wasn't her.

But it still didn't feel right to be proud of someone who was following in the footsteps of a betrayer and a martyr.

A burst of sudden green light caused the three of them to jump out of their skins. They all watched as the moon flashed green and as white lights appeared in the sky above them. Greg stood and grasped Steven's shoulder tightly.

"It's not too late to come with me, kiddo," he said, voice shaky.

"I have to do this," Steven said, his own confidence surprising him.

Greg sighed deeply. "I know. Be safe, okay? Both of you."

He ran off to the van and Connie and Steven both got on Lion's back. The green faded from the moon and slowly, the ships started to take shape in the calm night sky. Everything was quiet, even the ocean, as the night sky glistened with hundreds of injectors filled with blue liquid silently floating down, their drills pointed straight at Earth.

But it wasn't just injectors; there were pointed warships, Roaming Eyes, large Green hand ships like the one Jasper used, and in the center of it all, were the Diamonds. _Her _head, though devoid of color, stood out the most of Steven. The shape of it was enough to send shivers down his spine. It took all of his willpower not to gulp loudly or tug at Lions mane when he remembered the look of her cold uncaring eyes.

Her head wasn't alone — two arms, one blue and one yellow, floated, detached, next to it.

"You ready?" Connie asked, her grip around Steven's midsection tightening.

Steven nodded, though he felt far from ready.

"Okay, " Connie breathed out. "Let's do this."

Lion stood and tensed as the three of them waited for Homeworld to make their first move.

… … … … … … … … … ... … … …

The beach air was tense as Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Bismuth, and Peridot stood and watched Homeworld's army descend on them. No one spoke; they already said their goodbyes before the Moon Base alerted them. There was nothing more to be said: they were going to protect Steven and protect the Earth, even if it was the last thing they ever did.

Even Bismuth, who had just been unbubbled and barely knew the boy for what he was, was willing to give everything to go against the tyrants who made her.

The five of them watched as Yellow and Blue's ships straightened and signaled for the army to stop. The Diamonds approached the beach. Blue and Yellow's ships slammed on the sand, palms down, at the same time. The force blew away the ocean and the Crystal Gems all shielded their eyes and face as sand pelted them. The ships lifted and revealed the towering figures of both Diamonds.

Yellow stood tall, a confident smirk on her face as she looked down at them. Peridot had never seen her look so intimidating, and yet, so bored.

Blue's hood was over her head, but her eyes sparkled with an emotion none of them knew she had scanned the beach to look for Steven. Garnet clenched her fist as she regarded the infamous shatterer and vowed to keep Steven as far from her as she could.

And then White. Her ship didn't land, but the gems turned to watch her slowly grow from the top of her ship's hair. Even the sand seemed unsettled by her presence as she slowly descended to the ground on a white platform.

Her arms were crossed and her face was less than pleased when she noticed Steven was absent. Pearl had never seen White so tense, so rigid. If Pearl didn't know better, she would have called White disheveled.

"Well? Where is Pink?" White asked, voice booming.

"Pink isn't here," Garnet growled. "She's been gone for thousands of years."

White sighed and tutted, though Pearl noticed how her eyes glanced all over the beach, almost desperately.

"Then I guess we'll have to search the planet," White suggested. "Yellow, Blue, do what you must to these gems. But make quick work of it."

Yellow smirked and cracked her knuckles. "So this is all that's left of Pink's rebellion?" She laughed to herself and moved to wipe away a fake tear. "I can take care of you myself. Gathering my army was overkill!"

"Overkill this!"

Yellow's chest was bombarded with a slew of soda cans that flew through the air. She barely felt the impact, but the small voice did draw her attention to an Era Two Peridot.

She raised her eyebrow and without a second thought, blasted the gem with her power. Peridot wasn't ready, but the shield around her torso was. The rose emblem glowed pink as the yellow surge of electricity hit her square in the chest. It bounced off her and landed harmlessly in the sand.

"Haha!" Peridot yelled triumphantly. "You're no match for me, you Homeworld Clod!"

As strong as Peridot's shield was, it was no match for Yellow's foot. The Diamond ran forward and before any of the gems could react, her boot was over where Peridot once stood.

"No! Peri!" Amethyst cried.

Yellow lifted her foot and scoffed when she saw Peridot's gem, unharmed, in the sand.

"She's tough, I give her that," Yellow said, with amusement in her voice. "Now, tell us where Pink is, or you'll all be poofed and bubbled for a millennia."

"Give us Pink and we'll leave," Blue Diamond spoke up. "No one else needs to get hurt."

Garnet stepped forward and adjusted her visor before she looked up at Blue Diamond.

"No one but you," the fusion said as a fat water droplet landed on Blue Diamond's head. She looked up and her eyes widened when she noticed a barn encased in water hovering over her head and a Lapis Lazuli gem flying lazily next to him. Lapis forced her arms down and the barn slammed onto Blue's head.

Yellow ran in and tried to knock Blue out of the way, but she was forced back by the impact and landed heavily in the ocean.

"Nice timing," Garnet told Lapis as she floated down to stand beside her.

Lapis smiled at her, but the gesture didn't reach her eyes. "I saw them coming from the moon. I couldn't just watch them invade the planet. If they're going to treat me like a Crystal Gem, I might as well be one, right?"

Garnet nodded and Lapis looked around.

"Wait, where's Steven?"

"Long story," Amethyst piped up. "Rose was Pink Diamond. They think Steven is Pink. We need to keep him away from them."

"What?!" Lapis's eyes widened in shock and her wings flared out in alarm. Before she could ask anything more, Garnet's hand rested on her shoulder and Yellow pushed herself back to her feet.

"Get Peridot," Garnet told Lapis.

The blue gem shook off her shock and nodded. She raced over and scooped up Peridot's gem and held it tightly in her hand before she turned to face the gems she feared the most.

"Enough of this," White growled as Yellow pushed a large wooden beam off Blue and helped her to her feet. The gem matriarch stood in the ocean behind all the fighting, her eyes ablaze with anger. "I'll finish this myself!"

Her eyes glowed brightly and Lapis shot off behind the mountain. The blast grazed the side of the temple, but left no visible damage. The next shot was aimed directly at Garnet, who stood tall.

Like Yellow's power, White's slid off Garnet like water on a bird's wing.

"What?!" White hissed.

"It's their armor," Yellow pointed out. "It seems to deflect our powers."

White looked as if steam were coming out of her ears. "So a Pearl and a Peridot managed to pull it off," she said before she forced a humorless laugh. The sound sent shivers down Pearl's spine — it was filled with so much hatred and a toxic yearning for vengeance that Pearl wanted to poof from just hearing it.

"Very well," White said. "I'll keep playing along. We'll just do this the old fashioned way."

"No!"

At the sudden yell, everyone turned just in time to see the portal close behind Lion. On his back sat the two people that caused all of the Crystal Gems' hearts to sink: Steven with wide, but determined eyes, and Connie, her arms around Steven's wait, but her sword left in its scabbard.

"Steven!" Pearl yelled.

"Get out of here!" Garnet screamed.

"Dude, not again!" Amethyst groaned.

Steven ignored them all. He sat with courage he certainly didn't feel on Lion's back and stared at the three Diamonds.

"Hello Starlight!" White greeted him as if she were speaking to a friend she hadn't seen in years, but it was all fake. Venom dripped from every syllable. "So good to see you."

"White," Steven started, his eyes fixed on hers as beads of sweat ran down the back of his neck. Connie tightened her grip on his waist reassuringly. "We don't have to fight."

White sighed softly and put her fingers to her chin. "Oh Pink, you're so silly," she cooed. "But you're the one fighting. Just come over here and let us help you. If you do, we'll leave your friends and the Earth alone."

A toddler could have seen through White's façade. But even so, Steven nudged Lion forward. The feline growled lowly as he stepped closer to White, his entire body tense and ready to pounce away at the first sign of betrayal.

But it didn't come to that.

"Enough of this. Gems!"

Pearl and Amethyst were at Garnet's side in seconds and the beach was filled with a blast of light as they fused into one being.

"No, wait!" Steven yelled, but like all the times before, it was fruitless. Alexandrite appeared before them, terrifying and fierce. The fusion was crouched down, her fist slammed into the sand as she tensed to throw herself at one of the Diamonds. Her mouth curled into a sinister snarl and heat radiated from her head as she prepared to fight.

Two of her six arms spread out behind her to shield Steven and Connie.

The fusion pounced and Yellow pushed Blue out of the way and met their attack head on. Matched in height and physical strength, the pair of them struggled and strained. Alexandrite managed one step forward and Yellow's heels dug into the sand.

Blue, her eyes on the armor that grew with the fusion, didn't intervene. She instead stepped around the battle and slowly turned to Steven. She opened her mouth, but before any words could escape, a plume of flames burst out in front of her. She retreated with a scream of surprise, hands over her face.

Alexandrite had turned her head to spit literal fire at Blue, but the moment distraction was enough Yellow needed to step forward and push the fusion to her knees.

Yellow gasped as water chains shot out from the ocean and wrapped around her wrists. No less than six attached to her wrists. In her confusion, Lapis strained and pulled her back. Yellow stumbled, eyes wide, and Alexandrite stood again.

"Get Steven out of here!" she roared to the gems.

Bismuth nodded and turned. She bolted toward the pink lion and to the teens on its back, only to stop when she saw the fire in Steven's eyes. It was the same look Rose had when she first saw the Diamond's army. They were outnumbered then, just as they were now, but the resolve never left her. Even with everything on the line, Bismuth knew that Steven would find a way to win.

She turned her back to him and instead ran toward Blue Diamond, who had recovered from the sudden burst of heat. In her heart, Bismuth knew that she couldn't have stopped Rose then. And she knew she couldn't stop Steven now.

Alexandrite dropped her hand and Bismuth jumped on. The fusion threw the weapon expert toward Blue and opened her lower mouth to back her up with flames. Blue braced herself and smacked Bismuth to the ground; her hammer hands doing nothing but annoying the Diamond. Blue's arms flew up to block her face from the flames once again.

When the orange glow died, she lowered them, looking positively peeved. But she still didn't retaliate; her eyes were back on Steven.

Yellow groaned and pulled forward with all her might. The water chains snapped and she stumbled forward before she tackled Alexandrite to the ground.

Lapis eyes Blue and White for a moment before she dived down. The Diamonds followed her movements, but made no attempt to stop her. White determined she was too close to Steven and she wasn't keen on repeating a close encounter with a corrupted mind. Blue, though she was known as a shattered, wasn't one to raise her fists in a fight.

Lion, however, wasn't having it. The feline leapt off the porch of Steven's home and and raced toward the Diamonds. Lapis shot a line of water at the cat and he skid to a halt as the water rose and blocked his view. He, Steven, and Connie turned to watch Lapis dive again, her arms open.

Lion turned to the right and bounded back up the stairs to Steven's house with Lapis right on his tail. He, urged forward by Steven, jumped once more over the railing. His toes barely skimmed the top of the water and suddenly, his back felt much lighter.

But when he landed on the beach, he continued to race forward, because it wasn't Steven who Lapis managed to grab.

"What?" Laips screamed in frustration as she noticed Connie had taken Steven's jacket in the midst of the battle and forced herself into Lapis's arms instead.

"Hi," Connie said shyly. Lapis dove again, intending to deposit Connie onto the ground and race after Steven, but it was too late.

Alexandrite was torn apart by Yellow, literally, and the three gems unfused. Yellow slammed her hand down onto the sand and yelled out when her open palm met Pearl's spear.

"Stop him!" Lapis yelled.

Amethyst summoned her whip and Garnet stood as tall as she could, but Lion was too quick for them. He dodged Amethyst's attack and jumped straight over Garnet. Steven used his momentum and jumped off Lion's back, his eyes only on White.

White, who only smiled at him and snatched him right out of the air.

"STEVEN!" everyone called from the beach.

But a pink glow shone through White's fingers and the gem matriarch threw open her hand with a mix of pain and shock on her face. Steven floated down to the ground, unharmed, surrounded by a pink bubble encased in spikes.

Before any of the gems could react, Steven closed his eyes and called on the power that had caused him so much grief. His skin crawled as a prickling warmth spread from his gem and coated his entire body in a steady pink glow. His heart pounded and hands shook, but his nerves only fed into plan.

A pink barrier appeared; diamond-shaped panels erupted out of thin air and quickly formed a curved wall that separated Steven and the Diamonds from the Crystal Gems. Lapis dropped Connie on the sand and rushed upwards, but she wasn't fast enough — the final panel enclosed the four of them just before she reached it.

"No!" She pounded on the wall desperately with tears pooling in the corner of her eyes.

"Steven!" Garnet slammed into the wall with all of her might, but even the strength of an adrenaline-filled fusion couldn't put a dent in the barrier.

Steven felt it all though; from the beads of sweat that ran down his back, to each fist, spear, wave of water, or whip that slammed against the barrier.

Before, when White had forced him to do something like this, it felt like nothing more than someone hitting his shield. But now? With all of the Crystal Gems, save for Bismuth who just watched him with a mix of curiosity and pride, pounding on the edges, and his own body screaming at him for trying something so massive so quickly after what transpired with White, it was like Steven's was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. And, in a weird way, he did. But he couldn't break. He couldn't let them in.

But he took a steadying breath, straightened up, dropped the spiked bubble, and raised his head.

He stared at the three Diamonds in front of him and tried to forget how they towered over him and tried to ignore how their cold eyes seemed to cut right through him. Except their eyes weren't cold — not entirely at least. Blue stared down at him with cautious surprise and Yellow seemed amused by his display of courage. Both of them moved to stand on either side of White: blue at her right and Yellow on her left.

It was only White; her face seemed to be chiseled out of marble as she glared down at him. She would have been expressionless, save for her slight frown and hint of malcontent in her eyes.

Steven tried to swallow past his heart, which pounded in his throat, but his mouth was suddenly dry. He took a short breath and stopped himself from looking behind him to seek reassurance. He still heard Garnet pound on the pink wall in desperation and saw Lapis circling above, trying to find an opening. He couldn't look at them; he would find no comfort there.

Instead, he only found his resolve and strength slowly drained away. He wouldn't be able to keep this up for long — he felt every hit reverberate through his gem and their desperation cut through him like a whip. He was doing it again; he was hurting them and making them feel powerless in order to protect them. But this was the only way. They couldn't win against three Diamonds. He had to break through to them.

So he forced himself to keep his eyes shifting from left to right and back again — from Blue, to White, to Yellow, to White, to Blue.

"Well?" White chimed in with unimpressed venom dripping from her voice. "We're waiting, Pink."

He took another breath and looked her right in the eyes.

"I'm not Pink," he told her, voice stronger than he expected. "She's gone."

White scoffed and opened her mouth, but Steven wasn't done.

"She left Homeworld," he said, for what felt like the millionth time this week. "She ran away because she found happiness here."

He turned to look at Blue, who tilted her head down to listen as Steven spoke. They met eyes and he was taken aback to see a small, but kind smile on her face, as if she was encouraging him to speak.

"I didn't know my mom," Steven continued, his voice dropping in volume, but not in strength. "I don't know why she left. All I know is how Homeworld made me feel."

Steven dropped his gaze and moved his hand to cover his gem as he remembered White's cold hand encasing it and the feeling of invisible strings digging into his wrists as he was dragged around by an unseen puppeteer. He quickly moved to wipe tears from his eyes before he spoke again.

"Everything felt so wrong," he said, unable to find the right words. "I wasn't allowed to be myself. It was so different than everything I knew and everything I loved and it wasn't right. I didn't know my mom, but I do know that she felt the same way I did for thousands of years."

"That's why you left, isn't it?" Blue whispered suddenly, her hand covering her own gem and eyes downcast. Steven looked up to her in shock and nodded numbly. He heard that Blue addressed him like he was Pink, but at this moment, he didn't care. She turned to look at Yellow.

"Do you remember all those silly things Pink did for no reason? Well, there was a reason, wasn't there? She wanted us to be happy together. But we weren't," Blue told Yellow, her eyes purposefully avoiding White's.

Yellow looked down to Steven, her face a mix of unimpressed and understanding. It was similar to how she first looked at Steven when she learned who he was and a far cry from the murderous humor on her face from when she talked about how Pink destroyed them.

"Look, Yellow," Steven said, unsure what to say to get through to her. "I know Pink wasn't perfect. She hurt you, Blue, and White, and a lot of other people. But after she was shattered, did anything change?"

Yellow's eyes narrowed as she listened.

"Of course things changed," she snapped. "We mourned for Pink! Her death divided us!"

Blue shook her head at this. "Did it, though? We used to be so close, but when Era 2 started, we all began to drift apart."

Yellow sighed loudly. "No Blue, we…," she paused. "I mean, I…," another pause.

She took a breath and straightened. "We moved forward with our perfect empire," she finally said, her usual bravado gone.

"Does this look perfect to you?" Steven asked her, arms expanded. Yellow looked around her to the large pink dome that encased them, to the injectors and war ships in the sky, to the small band of rebellious gems, and to the small hybrid in front of her. Steven lifted the bottom of his shirt and exposed his gem to Yellow. Her face fell at the sight of it.

And finally, Yellow looked to the side, submissive.

"I guess this would be Pink's version of perfect," she muttered before she sighed and looked back to Steven with kinder eyes.

White, however, crossed her arms and scowled.

"Enough of this," she growled. "Blue, Yellow, you're being ridiculous. Don't humor her. Do as we discussed. Heal her and end this."

"I'm not corrupted!" Steven shouted to deaf ears. But if this was the only way, then he supposed he didn't have a choice but to let them try.

Blue and Yellow looked to White and then down to him, their faces quickly turning to a soft resolve. He tried everything to keep his hands from quivering and his eyes widening as he looked into their giant faces, but he knew he failed the moment a bead of sweat fell from his brow.

Blue knelt down on his left and Yellow took a knee to his right.

"This won't hurt," Blue whispered, despite White throwing her an angered glare.

She touched her gem and Steven felt power emanating from it as it glowed. Blue's hair was pushed from her face and Steven's stand end. It took all of his willpower to not take a step back when Blue reached out to him.

"Don't touch him! Steven, run!" Garnet growled in warning she still pounded on Steven's barrier, but her order was ignored by everyone.

Blue gently touched Steven's back — the movement was so featherlight that Steven barely felt it. He did feel a coolness spread through him that seemed to calm his aching limbs and lessened the strain he felt from keeping up this giant dome.

Nothing else happened, though.

Yellow sighed and rubbed her fingers together. Steven jumped slightly when sparks flew from her fingertips and couldn't stop himself from recoiling as Yellow reached out too. He felt Blue's hand shift to keep him in place, though, and Yellow prodded him on the right shoulder.

His skin crawled at her touch, almost uncomfortably, but after the initial shock left him, he noticed how strength seemed to flow from her fingers into his body. Physically, he felt like he could knock White to her knees with one hit if she tried anything.

But nothing else happened.

White scoffed; her eyes were previously glued to Steven's gem, but it sat as dormant as ever on his stomach. Not even a whisper of a glow emanated from it.

"Honestly Starlight," White said with a roll of her eyes. "You would get yourself so corrupted that it takes all three of us to fix you."

"Wait," Steven said. He tried to step forward to get away from Blue's and Yellow's touch, but they moved with him. "I'm not corrupted! If Pink were, then why isn't Pearl, or Garnet?" He gestured behind him and watched Blue's and Yellow's eyes flit over to the gems before they looked back down at Steven.

They then exchanged glances and nodded to one another before they stood, their hands now at their sides.

"What are you two doing?" White shot at them, her voice boiling with frustration and anger. "Heal her!"

"There's nothing to heal," Yellow dared to say, her voice not as confident as Steven was expecting.

"White," Blue said, her tone much softer than Yellow's. "Pink isn't corrupted. She's Steven."

Both Blue and Yellow recoiled at the look on White's face. It was sheer anger: her nostrils were flared, eyebrows raised, her pupils flashed dangerously, and her smile curved downward into a pointed snarl.

"No!: White growled lowly. "You do not look like this. You do not sound like this."

Behind him, Garnet's pounding on the wall increased tenfold and Steven had to push every ounce of power he could muster to hold it together.

White reached down and snatched Steven off the ground. She lifted him at a dizzying pace and held him for everyone to see.

"And if you're too stubborn to be anything other than Steven, I guess I'll have to remove him from the equation."

"Wait!" Steven yelled. Blue and Yellow reached out, but both were stopped dead by White's glare.

"I was wrong to let you two fuse back together," White hissed. "I won't make that mistake again."

She lifted her finger and exposed his gem.

"This time, Starlight, you won't have a choice. It's time to come out, Pink."

… … … … … … … … … … … …

_AN: __Oh good golly god this past month has been insane. From going back to working from home (thanks COVID) to my abusive roommate moving out and giving me 5 days notice to find another roommate, I haven't had much time to write. But I finally got it out! I am so sorry about the wait. I know it's frustrating. I hope you can forgive me and I hope you enjoyed it! One more chapter to go!_


	16. Chapter 16: The Power of Change

Everyone knew what was coming, but even the gem with the power to see the future was unable to stop it. The beach stilled as White exposed Steven's gem: everyone on the sand froze with shock and fear. If they had stomachs, bile would be rising as they realized what White was about to do.

"White, stop!" Steven yelled as her free hand got closer to his gem. He remembered the feeling well: nails digging into his skin and clawing out a piece of him so vital that as soon as it left his body, he had barely anything left. The sudden exhaustion, the inability to think anything more than "I need it back," and the absolute loss of strength — he wasn't keen to relive that.

But this time was different. This time, he knew what she wanted to do. Shock wouldn't hold him back. The lethargy in his limbs and the dull ache in his core from sustaining the protective dome around them wouldn't hold him back.

He could stop her.

As White's finger brushed the edge of his gem, he screwed up his face and took a deep breath and focused everything he had on his gem.

He would stop her.

A flash of yellow cut through his vision and White's hand was yanked away from him. Both White and Steven turned with the same look of surprise on their faces as Yellow firmly held onto White's wrist. She pulled it away from Steven, strain on her face as White fought with her.

"What are you doing?" White demanded. In the scuffle, she dropped Steven and grabbed Yellow's arm with both hands.

Steven only fell for a second before he landed hard on Blue's hand. She brought him close to her; so close that Steven saw himself reflected in her gem. He swallowed down his rising fear of being so close to someone he knew to be a shatterer, and glanced to her face. It was determined and fierce, but she wasn't looking at Steven. She was looking at White.

"We won't let you hurt him again," Blue nearly snarled, her gentle voice downright menacing.

Yellow yanked her hand out of White's and stepped back so she shielded both Steven and Blue.

At her words, all color drained from Steven's skin. He didn't need to be afraid of Blue. He didn't need to fight White. Right now, all he needed was to be Steven.

"White," she said, her confidence wavering at the look of fury on the taller gem's face. "This has to stop."

White's upper lip curled into a snarl and her brow furrowed in unrestrained madness. She had a wild look in her eye, one that had Steven standing and his shield appearing on his arm. He felt Blue tense and watched Yellow extend her arm to further shield them.

"I never thought I'd see the day where you two turn against me," White said. She tried to maintain her composure as she spoke, but her words and tone cut through them like daggers.

"White," Blue said urgently. "We're not against you. We just think that…"

"That Pink's game is fun?" White interjected. Her smile didn't reach her eyes. "That you missed playing with her?"

Yellow shook her head. "No, White. We miss her, but this isn't right. Blue and I follow all of your rules and we do it perfectly. But your very high standards put us all under a lot of pressure. A Gem could crack under so much pressure. We Diamonds may be hard, but we're also brittle."

Blue took over. "Pink did crack. That's why she left, isn't it? All this time, we thought she was failing us, but we were failing her. Pink was never like us," she said. "She was strong, but we pushed her until she couldn't handle it anymore."

Blue's eyes filled with tears and Steven felt his eyes burn too. He quickly moved to wipe them away. "It was never a game to Pink. She wanted this. And we do too. White, please, see reason."

As they spoke, White's face changed. The anger fell from her brow but the smile never dropped from her lips. She stared at them with twinkling eyes and cupped her hands together.

Steven saw it before Yellow and Blue did. The coldness in her eyes. The subtle glow of her already bright gem. The insanity in her eyes. He lept off Blue's hand and landed on Yellow's shoulder just as White's eyes were consumed by light. He jumped again, shield in front of him, and met White's power head on.

It hit his shield like a truck. He was forced back, in mid air, and slammed back against Yellow. She was quick to move her hand underneath him.

The light faded and Steven peered over the top of his shield, his face showing just how done he was with this scenario.

White's face dropped as she looked at him. Steven didn't know what made her stop, but he saw the same fear on her face that he's been questioning since she left his mind. And the same realization that she couldn't fix this — fix him — by herself. And if she tried to force Blue and Yellow on her side, she would only be met with more resistance.

"White,' Yellow breathed, clearly shook that her fellow Diamond would try to overpower her. "Why?"

"Because she doesn't want to accept the truth," Blue whispered. She walked forward and put her hand on Yellow's shoulder and smiled gently down at Steven.

"White," Steven said after a moment. He forced his voice to be gentle and understanding, and dropped his shield as a sign of peace. He stood tall on Yellow's hand and faced her with confidence that his mother never had.

"I know it's hard to lose someone," he told her. "I didn't know Pink or Rose. But I do know what it's like to try and live without someone you care about. I know how important family is and I understand that you want to do everything to protect them, even if that means hurting them."

He cast his thoughts to Pearl, who he accidentally caused to poof during her sparring practice, to Garnet unfusing, to Amethyst fighting Jasper, to Connie. Connie, who had nearly died and was put into so much danger because of him and hurt so many times. To everyone he left behind when he sacrificed himself to Homeworld.

But they all still stood on the back below him; they all still stood with him.

White couldn't say the same. But she did feel the same ache within her when she thought about Pink that Steven did when he thought about his mother. In the past, Steven would look to her photo and feel the warmth of her mysterious smile. He would proudly stand tall and promised himself that he would be just like her.

Those feelings were long gone. Replaced with pain of betrayal and a strange loss he didn't expect. It wasn't the loss of his mother, but the loss of knowing what to feel about her. It was muddled, murky, and messy; it hurt like nothing Steven ever felt before. He had wanted to meet her so badly, but now? He wasn't even sure he wanted to be related to her.

And this feeling wasn't new to him. The storm cloud that infested the back of his mind when White was overcome with her own emotions felt similar. She wanted Pink back so badly that she was willing to overlook every obvious detail that she wasn't coming back. But it had been more than that, wasn't it? It had been White's own denial that Pink was willing to betray everyone and live a lie for thousands of years. And when White finally thought she had her Pink back, it was just fragments of her, jumbled up and in the control of a half-human.

It was disappointment. It was painful and mournful disappointment.

"I know how hard it is," Steven said again. "But that doesn't change the fact that Pink's gone."

He looked White right in the eye and took a breath.

"You know she's gone too," he told her. His voice shook slightly as his confidence wavered, but White's face continued to drop. She finally lost that cold, unfeeling smile. So Steven dared to push on. He lifted his shirt and showed his gem to White.

"You saw what happened when you…," his voice got caught in his throat as he tried to vocalize White removing his gem. But when he tried, the image of her nails around his naval flashed in front of his eyes.

"We all saw," Blue said, encouragingly. "It wasn't Pink who reformed. It was Steven. That should have been enough."

"Forms change," White retaliated, but the usual bite behind her voice was missing. "Pink should know that better than anyone."

Steven dropped his shirt and took another steadying breath. "A gem's body reflects who they truly are. If you try to force that change, it doesn't work." He glanced down to Amethyst, who dropped her eyes in shame.

"It's more than just shape-shifting and corruption," Steven continued. "Pink became a part of me. That's why you could never bring Pink out of my gem — why you couldn't make me anyone different than who I am."

White scoffed, but Steven pressed on.

"You know I'm Steven, White," he said, voice building back confidence. "You know better than anyone that I can't be who you want me to be."

All of those times White was frustrated with him: when he was unable to look like Pink, when he fought her orders and refused to act like a Diamond and hurt other gems, when he talked back to her under the Funland Pier, and when he pointed out why Pink left Homeworld, it was just a beacon of disappointment that fueled White's blindness.

All of those times where White cooed at him, suppressed him, and treated him like a child, it was her treating him like Pink. But it had gotten worse and more desperate as time went on. It grew and White's taunting and "lessons" continued, but she got no results. For someone with as much time as a Diamond, it struck Steven as odd she would come so undone within a week.

It was because that deep down, White knew the truth. She knew that Steven couldn't be his mom. She knew that Pink was gone. She just wasn't ready to accept it.

And now, with Blue and Yellow turned against her, one the beach of an alien planet with a small army at her back, would she be ready?

"I have all millennia to prove you wrong," White whispered. "And an army to put an end to your silly game. You will be a Diamond. You will be respected by all gems. You will be loved by all gems. Is that really so bad, Starlight?"

But there was no conviction behind her words.

"It is when you're forcing gems to be something they're not," Steven said once more. "I've learned a lot from you, White. I've learned that mom didn't need you. And I don't need you either. I respect me. I love me. And if you want to get to know me, you can. But you need to change your mind about Diamonds and Pink before you do."

White was silent.

"He is all we have left of Pink," Blue gently said. "I don't want to lose that."

"Neither do I," Yellow said, her shoulders pushed back and chest puffed out.

"Please, White," Steven said. He reached out his hand to her, though his skin crawled at the thought of touching her. "Mom wouldn't have wanted you to fight. She would have wanted us to be a family."

Blue nodded behind him. "That's right. That's why she was always doing those silly things. She wanted us to laugh and be happy together. This is our chance to be that again, White."

White looked away from all three of them. "If I accept this behavior, then what is stopping other gems from falling out of line? Do you three want another rebellion?"

Steven shook his head. "If you just let everyone be whoever they are, then maybe you won't have to deal with that. Look at Earth. Every gem here is learning who they are and we're all happy. There's no war or fighting — we're just us."

"Corrupted and disorganized and overly dependent," White listed under her breath.

"Only because we made them that way," Blue countered, calmly. "Because we hurt Pink."

Steven swore he saw White's lip quiver.

"We didn't protect her," Blue said, her own voice quiet as realization hit her. "We forced her to be like us, instead of protecting her from gems like us."

"We're the reason for her suffering," Yellow agreed, distraught. "We're the reason she left."

"She found happiness here," Steven said, as gently as he could. "She found her real family and made a life for herself. If you really loved Pink, then you'd want her to be happy."

Steven took a step back as a new color spread across White's cheeks. A pink blush consumed her face, and despite her best effort to cover it with her hands, the hue was bright enough to cast a pink sheen over the beach. White closed her eyes, but not before one tear leaked through.

Blue and Yellow both retracted slightly at the slight of a once-perfect gem turning off color.

White glanced at Steven and then to the gems surrounding them, who had their hands pressed against Steven's barrier.

The teen took a breath and let the dome drop — all of his emotions that held it together slowly drained from him and were replaced with a cautious relief. His vision danced and spots appeared, but he steadied himself against Yellow's thumb and took a moment to catch his breath. He had been so focused on White that he forgot how taxing it was to keep up something that size.

The gems on the beach didn't move any closer, even when White slowly extended her hand. Her palm was flat and Steven carefully maneuvered onto it. She said nothing as she slowly raised him to her face and looked him up and down.

"White, please,' Steven said again, voice so quiet that only she could hear her. "Let her go."

And then she blinked. Tears pooled in the corner of her eyes and a reluctant acceptance grew in her eyes. She sighed softly.

"So, this is what makes you happy?"

Steven nodded. He tried not to flinch at the nickname and tried not to show how hard it was to keep standing on a hand that shook with emotions. He just forced himself to keep looking at her flushed face with a calm expression.

Blue and Yellow walked forward and each put a hand on White's shoulder and arm. She looked at each of them and took in their soft encouragement, before she closed her eyes and let out a pained sigh.

"Very well," she whispered. She slowly lowered Steven to the ground and waited for him to step off his palm before she spoke again. "Then this is where you'll stay."

She turned and looked back up to her ship and gestured for Blue and Yellow to do the same.

"We'll be in touch," White said, briskly. "We have a lot to discuss. You're going to have to step up and be an example if you want to avoid another war." Though her words were clearly meant to be full of bravado, her voice was still weaker than normal and shook.

"Wait!" Steven called as a pearlescent white platform appeared under the Diamonds' feet. "What about the corrupted gems? Can you heal them?"

White stopped and looked back at Steven over her shoulder, her face hard to read. "We'll discuss it later. For now…" she looked to Yellow and Blue before down at him again. "Enjoy your colony, Pi...Steven."

Blue smiled at Steven and Yellow tried to hide her own grin.

"We'll do what we can," Yellow vowed, her eyes shifting from Steven to White. He nodded, thankful she was willing to help White as well as him.

"If you ever want to talk, we'll listen," Blue said as the platform slowly lifted them back toward their ships.

Steven waved at them, unable to find any words. One by one, the Diamonds' ships turned and left Earth's sky. The army zoomed away with them. Within a minute, all that was left was the glimmer of stars and the sound of the calm ocean tide.

Steven nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Garnet smiling proudly down at him.

"Dude!" Amethyst yelled behind him. She ran up and pulled on his arm. "You did it!"

Lapis landed next to Bismuth, Peridot's gem back in her hand. "Since when did you learn how to do that?" She asked, her wings spread out in irritation. "And fighting the Diamonds by yourself? What were you thinking?"

"Whoa," Bismuth said with a good natured laugh. "He was fine! If he hadn't, we'd all be under Yellow Diamond's boot!"

Pearl walked in front of him, Connie by her side, and she knelt in front of Steven.

"Steven," she said, gently. "I'm so sorry. If I had just told you about Rose, then maybe we could have avoided all of this. But I know that your mother would be so proud of you. You did what she couldn't do."

"We're proud too," Garnet said with a nod. "I knew you wouldn't stay put, but I also knew it would have been pointless to stop you. You faced danger time and time again and believed in a better future than the one laid out in front of you."

Steven, though his body so desperately yelled at him to collapse on the beach, took a breath and tore his eyes away from the sky. His fingers tingled and he could barely feel his feet, but he remained standing. His stomach churned as he waited for White to change her mind and head right back to Earth, but the night remained silent. And his heart ached, in both relief and emotional exhaustion, as he thought about all of the work that was left for him to do.

"Steven?"

He looked over to Connie, suddenly very aware of how quiet he was being.

"We'll do it together, okay?" She reached out and took his hand in hers and Steven could help but smile.

He nodded. "Together," he vowed. Amethyst leaned against him, his arms still in her grasp, Garnet squeezed his shoulder, and Pearl smiled at him with watery eyes.

He looked back up to the sky and let his smile grow. Together, they would usher in hope for gems all over the galaxy. They would save those who were corrupted and those who are unhappy. Together, they would save the galaxy.

Together, they would usher in a new Era Three.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

**AN: I think it's obvious now, but this story was never meant to truly be about Steven. It's about White Diamond's redemption arc. I did not like how the show redeemed her. It was too sudden and too random for her to accept that she had flaws based on Steven's line: "I am a child. What's your excuse?" White dropped everything because she was embarrassed by a child. It wasn't satisfying. It didn't seem right — after thousands of years, THAT is what made her change? Yeah right. So I decided to make a darker version of her redemption arc to compensate. **

**I also wanted to lead into Steven Universe Future with a false promise of "together." Not that I wanted to add to Steven's trauma, but I think it would fit better with the theme of Steven going at it alone. **

**Anywho, I hope you all enjoyed this fever dream that was "A New Era Three." Thank you for reading! **


End file.
